Antiviral effect of a commercially phytotherapeutic compound against feline immunodeficiency virus.

The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a widespread lentivirus of felids. Due to its worldwide diffusion and the lack of an effective preventive and therapeutic protocol, it has a high impact on the cats' health. Several therapeutical protocols have been proposed, among those, phytotherapeutic compounds have been tested with the purpose to find a possible natural treatment. The most studied active compounds are derived from Ganoderma lucidum, Cordyceps sinensis, and Trametes versicolor. The present study aims to investigate in vitro antiviral effects of a commercially available compound HELP-TH1 (Camon, S.p.A., Italy) against FIV. The antiviral effect of HELP-TH1 was evaluated by quantifying and comparing the viral load of control groups, infected and not-treated cells, vs both experimental groups, infected and treated cells. Our data indicate that HELP-TH1 reduce the viral load in the experimental conditions demonstrating its antiviral effect.