Antiviral activity of some Nigerian medicinal plant extracts

Plants from Northern Nigeria with a history of use in both human and veteri nary traditional medicine have been investigated for their antiviral activi ty and their cytotoxicity determined. Extracts were tested against poliovir us, astrovirus, herpes simplex viruses and parvovirus, using the microtitre plate inhibition tests. Most of the extracts have activity against more th an one virus at a dose rate of between 100 and 400 mu g/100 mu l. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.