Antiviral Activity of Hen Egg-White Lysozyme on Polio Virus.

Abstract

The antimicrobial significance of lysozyme is not yet fully established but previous observations of its properties show enormous antiviral activity. The objective of the study is to test the antiviral effects of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) on the three strains of poliovirus. Lyophilized commercial HEWL was dissolved in Eagle’s Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) at a concentration of 11.6 mg/L and used for the different dilutions of log 10-1 to 10-6 for the three Poliovirus in-house reference strains Sabin 1 01/528, Sabin 2 01/530 and Sabin 3 01/532 and incubated for 30 minutes and the other for 1 hour at 360C respectively (virus dilutions in lysozyme). Two hundred microliter of each virus dilution was added onto a L20B cell monolayer in microtiter plates seeded 48 hrs earlier and incubated at 360C and observed daily under inverted microscope for cytopathic effects. The study revealed marked absence of the cytopathic effect was exhibited in some microwells when compared with the controls. In all the tests, no CPE was observed on the first day when compared with the controls. The higher the virus dilutions, the reduced CPE showing higher antiviral effects on lesser number of virus where the concentration of the lysozyme is constant. In conclusion Lysozyme has antiviral effects on Poliovirus and from the colour and morphology of the cells on fifth day of observation, there is an indication that lysozyme is less toxic than most antiviral compounds or agents.