Comment on Subhadra et al. Significant Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity of Bi121 against Different Variants of SARS-CoV-2
- Author: mycolabadmin
- 11/17/2023
- View Source
Summary
This is a scientific critique of a recent study claiming that a plant extract called Bi121 has antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2. The author raises important concerns about how the plant material was prepared and characterized, noting that the chemical fingerprint appears suspiciously identical to a previously published extract, and that the identification of the active ingredient relies on incomplete evidence. The critique calls for more rigorous scientific methods to verify the original study’s findings.
Background
Subhadra et al. published research on Bi121, a standardized polyphenolic-rich extract from Pelargonium sidoides, demonstrating antiviral activity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants. The authors identified Neoilludin B as a specific active compound responsible for this activity through in silico structural modeling.
Objective
This comment aims to raise scientific concerns about the methodology, characterization, and conclusions presented in the original Subhadra et al. study on Bi121’s antiviral properties.
Results
The analysis reveals several significant concerns: the standardization parameter of Bi121 is unspecified, the HPLC chromatogram lacks detection wavelength information, the chromatographic profile appears identical to a previously published EPs 7630 extract profile, and the identification of Neoilludin B relies solely on putative mass spectrometric comparison.
Conclusion
The validity of the original study is severely limited due to inadequate characterization of the studied drug, suspicious HPLC profile similarities suggesting potential plagiarism, and unverified identification of the proposed active principle. A comprehensive phytochemical reassessment of the studied material is required to draw valid conclusions.
- Published in:Viruses,
- Study Type:Comment/Critique,
- Source: PMID: 38005944