Evaluation of antiviral activity of ivermectin against herpes simplex virus1 (HSV-1)

Ivermectin (IVM), a broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent applied against nematodes, has been observed to have in vitro antiviral activity against various viruses in recent years. In addition to its use in animals, IVM stands out as an effective drug against human viruses. In the literature, its effects have been tested against RNA viruses such as HIV, West Nile virus, dengue fever virus, zika virus, tickborne encephalitis virus, bovine viral diarrhea virus, foot-and-mouth virus, newcastle disease virus, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine parainfluenza virus type 3, bovine coronavirus and DNA viruses such as pseudorabies virus, bovine herpesvirus type 1 and Capripoxvirus. Especially during the coronavirus pandemic that entered our lives as of 2019, the therapeutic effect of ivermectin has been investigated and its use has been carried out in many countries. Viral drug discovery studies take a long time. Studies on the inhibition effect of existing drugs and drug repositioning studies are increasing day by day, and in the light of this new information added to the literature, many steps such as toxicity tests in the drug development process can be skipped and further studies can be conducted. In this thesis, the potential of Ivermectin as an antiviral drug against HSV-1 was investigated and its usability was demonstrated.