Antiviral Activity of Ascorbic Acid Against Herpes Simplex Virus

In order to explore the potential of ascorbic acid supplementation for the prevention and treatment of herpes simplex viral diseases, plaque reduction assays were performed. Ascorbic acid as well as copper chloride/ferric chloride were added to wells containing Vero cells infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and the infectivity of HSV-1 was determined. Since copper and iron are major transition metals in human plasma, near the normal human plasma concentrations of them were used for experiments. When Cu(II) and Fe(III) were applied, there were no significant differences between virus control and Cu(II)/Fe(III)-treated groups. But, when appropriate concentrations of ascorbic acid were added to wells, meaningful differences between control and ascorbate-treated groups were found. In the presence of Cu(II)/Fe(III) at $5.8/3.7\;{\mu}M$, 72-h treatment with ascorbate at $50\;{\mu}M$ reduced HSV-1 infections to $10.77%{\pm}4.25%$ (P < 0.001) and $500\;{\mu}M$ did to $3.06%{\pm}1.62%$ (P < 0.001). Moreover, the cytotoxicities for Vero cells at those concentrations were insignificant (P > 0.05). Current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of ascorbic acid is 60 mg/day, and the oral intake of 60 mg/day of ascorbic acid yields plasma ascorbic acid at 45 to $58\;{\mu}M$ in a healthy adult man. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that the maintenance of appropriate level (more than $50\;{\mu}M$) of ascorbic acid in human plasma by appropriate amount (more than the RDA) of ascorbic acid supplementation may be helpful for the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by HSV -1 in an adult man. In addition, this study also suggests that ascorbic acid may be useful for the prophylaxis of fatal HSV-1 infections in neonates and the prevention of HSV-1 reactivation in immunocompromised hosts.