Antiviral activity of 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh2 against murine gammaherpesvirus

BACKGROUND: Ginsenosides are the major components of Panax ginseng Meyer, an herbal medicine used for the treatment of various diseases. Different ginsenosides contribute to the biological properties of ginseng, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we investigated the antiviral effects of 15 ginsenosides and compound K on gammaherpesvirus. METHODS: The antiviral activity of ginsenosides was examined using the plaque-forming assay and by analyzing the expression of the lytic gene. RESULTS: 20(R)-Ginsenoside Rh2 inhibited the replication and proliferation of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68), and its half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) against MHV-68 was estimated to be 2.77 μM. In addition, 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh2 inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced lytic replication of human gammaherpesvirus in the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)-positive cell line BC3. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh2 can inhibit the replication of mouse and human gammaherpesviruses, and thus, has the potential to treat gammaherpesvirus infection.