Inhibitory effect of herbal concoction Suduxing on hepatitis B virus replication in vitro

Objective　To investigate the inhibitory effect of Suduxing, a novel concoction of herbal extracts, on wild type and entecavir-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) in vitro. Methods　Stable cell lines HepG2.2.15 (wild-type HBV, genotype D, serotype ayw) and HepG2.A64 (entecavir-resistant HBV, genotype C, serotype adr) were treated with various concentrations of Suduxing (0, 0.0005, 0.001, 0.005, 0.01mg/ml) for four days. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the secreted HBsAg and HBeAg levels in the culture supernatant. Real-time PCR was used to detect the replication of HBV intermediate DNA. The inhibitory effect of Suduxing on the HBV DNA was observed at different time points. Results　The replication of HBV DNA and the secretion of HBsAg and HBeAg in HepG2.2.15 cells and HepG2.A64 cells were effectively suppressed by Suduxing in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory rate of HBV DNA, HBsAg and HBeAg at 0.01 mg/ml of Suduxing were 80.83%, 51.00%, 64.05% for HepG2.2.15 cells and 65.18%, 32.85%, 73.86% for HepG2.A64 cells respectively. The inhibitory effect of Suduxing on the HBV DNA in HepG2.2.15 cells increased with prolongation of time, while it did not in HepG2.A64 cells. Conclusion　Suduxing, as a potential anti-HBV agent, can effectively suppress the replication of both wild type HBV and entecavir-resistant HBV as well as the secretion of viral antigens. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2014.02.08