Publication: Antiviral activities of tualang honey against chikungunya virus-infected human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS)
| dc.contributor.author | Mohamad, Nur Aliah | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-03-01T00:26:23Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-03-01T00:26:23Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-11 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), primarily transmitted to humans by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The illness is characterised by fever, polyarthralgia, myalgia, rash and headache. In chronic chikungunya, arthralgia can persist for months or even years. Although a vaccine called IXCHIQ exists, it is not widely used and current treatment options focus on symptom relief. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro antiviral activity of Tualang honey against CHIKV infection in human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS) cells. The potential anti-CHIKV activity of different concentrations of Tualang honey at various incubation periods was evaluated through pre-treatment and post-treatment assays. Additionally, the modes of action were further investigated using virucidal, anti-adsorption, and anti-entry assays. The maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) of honey in HFLS cells was found to be 50 mg/mL although for subsequent antiviral assays ≤ 20 mg/mL concentrations were used. The viral inhibitory effect was evaluated using plaque assays to measure viral titres and quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) to quantify RNA copy numbers. Tualang honey exhibited minimal to excellent prophylactic activity during the pre-treatment assay, reducing viral titres by 29.21% to 94.87% and RNA copy numbers by 12.90% to 69.80%. Significant inhibition (p < 0.05) of CHIKV viral titres was observed following pre-treatment with 10 and 15 mg/mL for 6 and 12 hours before infection, respectively. Interestingly, the anti-CHIKV effects of Tualang honey in HFLS cells were more prominent during pre-treatment compared to post-treatment. Post-treatment with Tualang honey resulted in minimal to strong inhibition, reducing CHIKV viral titres by 6.67% to 72.46% and RNA copy numbers by 10.87% to 29.21%. The greatest inhibition was observed following post-treatment with 15 mg/mL concentration at 4 hour post infection (hpi), although these effects were not statistically significant. Notably, Tualang honey exhibited a virucidal effect, with up to an 80.50% reduction in CHIKV viral titres. Significant virucidal activity (p < 0.05) was observed when 15 and 20 mg/mL of honey were incubated with 2 X 10³ pfu of CHIKV. Furthermore, Tualang honey demonstrated both anti-adsorption and anti-entry effects, with the latter being more pronounced, reducing viral titres by up to 90.45% compared to 66.89% for anti-adsorption. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Tualang honey possesses anti-CHIKV activities and exerts its effects through broad modes of action. Further research is required to confirm its clinical applicability and fully elucidate its mechanisms of action | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://erepo.usm.my/handle/123456789/23694 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.subject | - | |
| dc.title | Antiviral activities of tualang honey against chikungunya virus-infected human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS) | |
| dc.type | Resource Types::text::thesis::master thesis | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oairecerif.author.affiliation | Universiti Sains Malaysia |