Inhibitory activity of oxyresveratrol on wild-type and drug-resistant varicella-zoster virus replication in vitro

The anti-herpes simplex virus (HSV) compound, oxyresveratrol, purified from a Thai traditional medicinal plant of Artocarpus lakoocha, was evaluated for its anti-varicella-zoster virus (VZV) activity. This compound exhibited IC50 values (50%-inhibitory concentrations for virus plaque formation) of 12.82, 12.80, 12.99 and 12.82 mu g/ml against wild type, thymidine kinase-deficient and two types of DNA polymerase mutants with acyclovir-resistance, respectively. Thus oxyresveratrol showed a broad spectrum of anti-VZV activity with a mechanism of action different from that of acyclovir. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.