Punica extract antiviral activity granatum L. (BLBu) in the experimental model influenza in mice of the Balb / C line

Abstract

Punica granatum L. (BlBu) extract was prepared from ripe fruit,
which is commonly used in Cuban traditional medicine for the treatment of
respiratory diseases. In our study, female mice (Balb/C strain, 4 weeks old)
were organized into four groups, with 20 animals per group. I, II y III groups
received a single dose of 25 µL of 10 DIE50 of the Influenza virus A / Sidney
/ 5 / 97 (H3N2) by each nostril. IV group was virus negative standard, which
only received the top dosage of BLbu (175 mg/kg of weight). The treatment
with BLbu began 24 h after the infection. BLbu was administered in a singledaily
dosage (50 µL) of 50 and 175 mg/kg of weight during 5 d by intranasal or
oral route according to the treatment. Animals were put to sleep the seventh
day and starting from their lung homogenates it was calculated the
hemaglutinant title and the viral infective half dose too, the animals were
weighed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. The results
showed that the mice treated with Blbu did not lose weight. The infected
animals and then treated with 175 mg/kg of weight of Blbu for the intranasal
route, experienced the biggest reduction in the hemaglutinant title (< 2).
The dose of 175 mg/kg of weight of Blbu given so much for intranasal route
as for oral route reduced in more than 2 log10 the viral infective title.