<p>Antiviral Effects of Oleandrin</p>
Robert A. Newman, K. Jagannadha Sastry, Ravit Arav‐Boger, Hongyi Cai, Jose R. Matos, Robert Harrod
Abstract
Abstract: Over the past 15 years, investigators have reported on the utility and safety of cardiac glycosides for numerous health benefits including those as treatments for malignant disease, stroke-mediated ischemic injury and certain neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to those, there is a growing body of evidence for novel antiviral effects of selected cardiac glycoside molecules. One unique cardiac glycoside, oleandrin derived from Nerium oleander , has been reported to have antiviral activity specifically against ‘enveloped’ viruses including HIV and HTLV-1. Importantly, a recent publication has presented in vitro evidence for oleandrin’s ability to inhibit production of infectious virus particles when used for treatment prior to, as well as after infection by SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. This review will highlight the known in vitro antiviral effects of oleandrin as well as present previously unpublished effects of this novel cardiac glycoside against Ebola virus, Cytomegalovirus , and Herpes simplex viruses. Keywords: oleandrin, Nerium oleander , virus, Na, K-ATPase, antiviral therapy