Anti-Influenza Activity of Extracts from Plants of the Lamiaceae Family

We have demonstrated that the water and ethanol extracts of the Nepeta cataria, Nepeta sibirica, Scutellaria baicalensis, Hyssopus officinalis, and Betonica officinalis plants, water extracts of Dracocephalum moldavica, Glechoma hederacea, Mentha arvensis, Prunella vulgaris, and Melissa officinalis, and ethanol extracts of Mentha piperita, Mentha crispa, Origanum vulgare, Hyssopus officinalis, and Salvia verticillata showed antiviral activity against the influenza virus subtype H5N1. The water extracts of Nepeta cataria and Glechoma hederacea showed the highest antiviral effect against the H5N1 subtype (NI 3.75). The water and ethanol extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis, Mentha piperita, Mentha arvensis, and Mentha crispa, water extract of Dracocephalum moldavica, and ethanol extracts of Glechoma hederacea, Origanum vulgare, Prunella vulgaris, Hyssopus officinalis, Betonica officinalis, and Salvia verticillata have shown to exhibit the antiviral activity against influenza virus subtype H3N2. The ethanol extract of Betonica officinalis showed the highest virus neutralizing activity against the H3N2 subtype (NI 4.25). The chemical analysis of the aerial parts of plants of the Lamiaceae family has shown that Dracocephalum nutans contains the highest amount of flavonols (4.47 ± 0.04%); the highest content of tannins has been found in Mentha arvensis (17.62 ± 0.78%), and the highest content of catechins has been found in Nepeta cataria (0.43 ± 0.007%). Thus, the plant extracts of the Lamiaceae family are promising sources for further studies to develop new antiviral drugs.