The Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Olive Leaves against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Background: it was shown that olive leave extract has antifungal,antibacterial and antiviral activities, the effects ofole on herpes simplex virus-i (hsy-i) have not been systematicallyinvestigated yet. the aim of this study was to examinethe in vitro effect of olive leaf hydroalcoholic extract(olhe) on hsy-1.methods: yirucidal effect and viral replication in vera cellline were studied in the presence of various concentrations ofolhe applied at different time intervals using a standardplaque assay method. the 50% cytotoxic concentration(ccso), 50% inhibitory concentration (ic so), and therapeuticindex of olhe were determined.results: olhe showed virucidal effect on hsy-i in concentrations> i mg/ml. the ccso of olhe for yero cells and icsowere 1.75 and 0.66 mg/ml, respectively. when applied to cellculture infected with the hsy-1, one hour earlier, olheshowed no antiviral activities. when applied to the cells followedby the virus infection one hour later, or to the mediacontaining the virus and the combination was added to cellculture one hour later, olhe showed anti-hsy-i activities atconcentrations > i mg/ml.conclusion: olhe has anti-hsy-i activity likely due to theprevention of virus entry into the cells.