Selective inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication by alpha-zam, a Nigella sativa seed formulation

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection became curable because of the development of direct acting antivirals (DAAs). However, the high cost of DAAs has greatly impeded their potential impact on the treatment of HCV infection. As a result, hepatitis C will continue to cause substantial morbidity, and mortality among chronically infected individuals in low and middle income countries. Thus, urgent need exists for developing cheaper drugs available to hepatitis C patients in these countries.Materials and Methods: Alpha-zam, an indigenous herbal formulation from Nigella sativa seed, was examined for its anti-HCV activity and cytotoxicity in genotype 1b HCV replicon cells. The antiviral activity was determined by luciferase expression and viral RNA synthesis, while the cytotoxicity was assessed by viable cell number and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase RNA synthesis in the replicon cells.Results: Alpha-zam was found to be a selective inhibitor of HCV replication. The 50% effective dilution and 50% cytotoxic dilution of Alpha-zam were 761- and < 100-fold, respectively, in the subgenomic replicon cells LucNeo#2. Its selective inhibition of HCV was also confirmed by HCV RNA levels in LucNeo#2 and in the full-genome HCV replicon cells NNC#2 using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, the anti-HCV activity of Alpha-zam was not due to the induction of interferon.Conclusion: Alpha-zam selectively inhibits HCV replication and therefore has potential for a novel antiviral agent against HCV infection.Keywords: Alpha-zam, chronic hepatitis, hepatitis C virus, antiviral assay, Nigella sativ

Point-of-care diagnosis and risk factors of infantile, rotavirus-associated diarrhoea in Calabar, Nigeria

Background: Rotaviruses are the primary cause of acute gastroenteritis in young children worldwide and a significant proportion of these infections occur in Africa. Objectives: In the present study, we determined the prevalence and risk factors of rotavirus infection among children younger than age 5 years with or without diarrhoea in Calabar, Nigeria, using a rapid point-of-care test. Methods: Two hundred infants younger than age 5 years presenting with acute gastroenteritis and a control group of 200 infants without diarrhoea were tested for rotavirus. Each stool sample was homogenised in an extraction buffer and the supernatant added into the sample well of the Rida Quick rotavirus test cassette and allowed to run for 5 minutes at room temperature. When both the control band and test band were visible on the test cassette a positive result was recorded, whereas when only the control band was visible a negative results was recorded. Results: Rotavirus was detected in 25 (12.5%) of children with diarrhoea and in no children without diarrhoea. Our results demonstrated that children who were exclusively breast-fed by their mothers were not infected with rotavirus and that 92% of the infants infected with rotavirus experienced vomiting. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that asymptomatic rotavirus infection is rare and that rotavirus is commonly detected in stool samples of children suffering from diarrhoea with concomitant vomiting. Use of point-of-care rotavirus tests will enhance early diagnosis of rotavirus-associated diarrhoea and reduce irrational use of antibiotics