<i>Hylotelephium telephium</i> (L) H. Ohba leaves juice improves herpetic lesions: new findings from <i>in vitro</i> investigations

The efficacy of <i>Hylotelephium telephium</i> (L.) H. Ohba (better known with its botanical synonym <i>Sedum telephium</i> L.) fresh leaf juice in the treatment of <i>Herpes labialis</i> wounds has been reported in traditional medicine in particular in Central regions of Italy; however, scientific insights are missing and the mechanism of action is not well understood. Aim of this study was to investigate the biological properties of <i>S. telephium</i> that underlie its ability to heal herpetic lesions. <i>S. telephium</i> fresh leaf juice (STJ) was analysed to obtain phytochemical information and tested <i>in vitro</i> to evaluate its antiviral activity against HSV-1 in Vero cells, then, according to computational predictions, immunomodulatory properties of STJ in human lympho-monocytes (PBMC), as well as its effect on cell viability in human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), were also evaluated. Our results, at least in part, may explain the improvement of herpetic lesions empirically observed in patients treated with STJ: such improvement was not related to direct anti-viral effect of the juice but to its experimentally confirmed activity as cell viability booster and immunomodulatory agent.