Medicinal Plants Against Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) Infections: Ethnopharmacology, Chemistry, and Clinical and Preclinical Studies

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a rhabdovirus, that is, an encapsulated negative-sense RNA virus. VSV could be spread from insects to mammals, attacking host cells and causing protein synthesis to stop and new virus particles to form. VSV is a virus that affects both wild ungulates and livestock. VSV causes permanent blisters on the tongue and other body parts, resulting in significant economic loss. New Jersey and Indiana serotypes of VSV are infectious in swine, equines, poultry, and bovines, causing symptoms similar to foot-and-mouth disease in cloven-hooved ruminants, such as lethargy, pyrexia, and anorexia. Mucosal vesicles and ulcers in the mouth are examples of oral illness, the most common clinical symptoms in humans. VSV that are infected can travel to the peripheral neurons and then infect the CNS, resulting in paralysis. Managing viral diseases has been challenging, and no widely licensed vaccines or treatments exist. The search for new anti-viral agents to eradicate VSV is critical due to its public health and economic implications. Natural medicinal plants were used to fight infectious disorders and are suitable as a repository for discovering possible antivirus compounds. This chapter emphasizes medicinal plants and their constituents that possess activity against vesicular stomatitis virus. They are Allium sativum L., Melia azedarach L., Piper nigrum, Camellia sinensis (L.), Curcuma longa L., Eriosema montanum Baker f., Ipomoea bonariensis Hook, Calendula arvensis L., Boswellia serrata, Melaleuca alternifolia, Baccharis gaudichaudiana DC., Heisteria acuminata, Cunila spicata Benth., Nepeta nepetella, Dittrichia viscosa, Sanguisorba minor magnolii, and Eugenia malaccensis L.