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Introduction: Nowadays, the attention of researchers has been focused on natural medicine in order to avoid the detrimental side effects of chemical drugs. In this study we assessed the effect of root extract of Tagetes minuta against HSV-1 and HSV-2. Materials and Methods: This research is an experimental study. Root extract of Tagetes minuta was obtained with 70% ethanol by maceration. Vero cells were grown in DMEM containing 5% fetal bovine serum. Serial dilutions of extracted suspension (1/10, 1/20, 1/40, 1/80, 1/160) were incubated by the exact titer of viruses and monitored for antiviral activity of extract. Data was analyzed using Doncan test. Results: Root extract obtained from Tagetes minuta significantly has antiviral activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2. This extract has more effect on HSV-2 than HSV-1. This study indicates that antiviral activity of the extract varies between different concentrations and the optimum antiviral activity on both viruses was obtained using 1/10 concentration. Conclusion:The results of this investigation showed that root extract of Tagetes minuta have good antiviral potenoial against HSV-1 and HSV-2, a good source of drug for treatment of diseases due to HSV-1 and HSV-2.

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Background: Herpes simplex clinical manifestations are in the form of vesicular eruptions on erythemateus base. The virus can remain latent within sensory nerve ganglions following the initial infection and be reactivated in some cases such as intracranial surgery, dental surgery, stress and excitements. Systemic or disseminated infection occurs in immune-deficient patients and sometimes in healthy individuals. In Previous studies, in most of the disseminated infection cases, visceral organs involvement has been mostly observed while skin involvement has been reported just in one case. Thus, our patient was the second case with herpes simplex disseminated skin infection. Case: The patient was a 38 year-old man who underwent craniotomy surgery due to epidural hematoma following car accident and head trauma. Almost 10 days after the surgery, the patient developed disseminated vesicular eruptions in erythemathous base which initially appeared in the face, head, and then in body and extremities. Fever was detected 5 days before the development of eruptions. Other than anemia and leucocytosis, there were no other notable points in the systemic examination and lab tests. For patient skin biopsy was taken with an impression of herpes simplex, mulocum contagiosum and a lower probability for bullouse diseases. In the skin biopsy, intra-epidermal vesicles and extensive epidermal necrosis with multinucleated giant cells and intra-nuclear objects were observed. A plethora of neutrophilic cells inside the vesicles and inflammatory cell infiltration in the underlying debris were seen. Based on the pathology report, infection with herpes simplex hominis was confirmed. Conclusion: Disseminated skin infection with herpes simplex can be observed even in healthy people with no background.

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Background and Aim: Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) may lead to oral herpes, encephalitis and keratoconjunctivitis. Today, following the increasing of HSV-1 prevalence and drug resistance, there has been an interest in the use of natural substance. In this study, we assessed the effect of hexane and methanol extracts of Chelidonium majus L. against acyclovir-resistant HSV-1. Materials and Methods: The toxicity threshold of Chelidonium majus L. hexane and methanol extracts on HeLa cell was determined with trypan blue and MTT methods. Their direct antiviral effects were evaluated against HSV-1. Different concentrations of extracts in different times of virus replication have been evaluated. In each stage, the viral titers were tested by TCID50 assay. Findings: The methanol extract at the concentration of 200 µg/ml and hexane extract at the concentration of 600 µg/ml were determined as effective minimal cytotoxic concentration on HeLa cell line. These concentrations did not have significant virucidal effects on Herpes simplex virus. The maximum antiviral effects of methanol extract at the concentration of 200 µg/ml was exhibited 1 and 2 hours after virus adsorption and reduced virus titer 4 logTCID50 compared to the control. Hexane extract did not have antiviral effect. Conclusion: methanol extract of chelidonium majus L. compared to hexane extract showed significant antiviral effect on acyclovir-resistant HSV-1. Further research is required to identify specific bioactive compounds of this plant in order to be used in anti-herpes drugs.