Ultrastructural Damages to H1N1 Influenza Virus Caused by Vapor Essential Oils
Valentina Noemi Madia,
Walter Toscanelli,
Daniela De Vita,
Marta De Angelis,
Antonella Messore,
Davide Ialongo,
Luigi Scipione,
Valeria Tudino,
Felicia Diodata D’Auria,
Roberto Di Santo,
Stefania Garzoli,
Annarita Stringaro,
Marisa Colone,
Magda Marchetti,
Fabiana Superti,
Lucia Nencioni,
Roberta Costi
Affiliations
Valentina Noemi Madia
Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Walter Toscanelli
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Daniela De Vita
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Marta De Angelis
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Antonella Messore
Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Davide Ialongo
Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Luigi Scipione
Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Valeria Tudino
Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Felicia Diodata D’Auria
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Roberto Di Santo
Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Stefania Garzoli
Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Annarita Stringaro
National Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Italian National Institute of Health, V.le Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy
Marisa Colone
National Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Italian National Institute of Health, V.le Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy
Magda Marchetti
National Centre for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Italian National Institute of Health, V.le Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy
Fabiana Superti
National Centre for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Italian National Institute of Health, V.le Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy
Lucia Nencioni
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Roberta Costi
Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Influenza viruses are transmitted from human to human via airborne droplets and can be transferred through contaminated environmental surfaces. Some works have demonstrated the efficacy of essential oils (EOs) as antimicrobial and antiviral agents, but most of them examined the liquid phases, which are generally toxic for oral applications. In our study, we describe the antiviral activity of Citrus bergamia, Melaleuca alternifolia, Illicium verum and Eucalyptus globulus vapor EOs against influenza virus type A. In the vapor phase, C. bergamia and M. alternifolia strongly reduced viral cytopathic effect without exerting any cytotoxicity. The E. globulus vapor EO reduced viral infection by 78% with no cytotoxicity, while I. verum was not effective. Furthermore, we characterized the EOs and their vapor phase by the head-space gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technique, observing that the major component found in each liquid EO is the same one of the corresponding vapor phases, with the exception of M. alternifolia. To deepen the mechanism of action, the morphological integrity of virus particles was checked by negative staining transmission electron microscopy, showing that they interfere with the lipid bilayer of the viral envelope, leading to the decomposition of membranes. We speculated that the most abundant components of the vapor EOs might directly interfere with influenza virus envelope structures or mask viral structures important for early steps of viral infection.
