Plants from deer diet in the Brazilian Pantanal Wetland as potential source of antiviral and antioxidant compounds

The major part of plants foraged by endangered pampas and marsh deer at the Brazilian Pantanal Wetland belongs to botanical genera containing medicinal species used mainly for healing infectious and inflammatory diseases. In this study, extracts and fractions of 19 plant species from deer diet were in vitro screened against bovine and suid herpesviruses,  avian  reovirus  and  infectious  bursal  disease  virus  (IBDV).  At  non-cytotoxicity  concentrations,  the extract and/or fractions from 14 plant species presented antiviral activity against at least one of these viruses except IBDV. Cecropia pachystachya, Melochia villosa and Polygonum acuminatum presented the most relevant results against bovine and suid herpesviruses while Andira cuyabensis was the most active plant against avian reovirus. C. pachystachya extract and fractions showed virucide effect, and kept their inhibitory activity towards both herpesviruses independent of the addition time in cell culture. Considering the benefit of the antioxidant activity of food and medicinal plants for the health balance, and its important role in viral infections, the extracts were also screened in a DPPH assay. Our findings show that several plants foraged by pampas and marsh deer possess antiviral activity against some pathogenic viruses for mammals. This study proposed an innovative strategy by adopting plants consumed in the diet of wild non-primate mammals for the search of potentially therapeutic substances. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.17525/vrrjournal.v19i2.95