Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications

Rabia Alghazeer; Sana Elghmasi; Mihayl Varbanov; Stéphanie Philippot; Samia Hawisa; Maamar Sidati; Bashir Lwaleed; Salah Azwai; Ibrahim Eldaghayes; Fatim Gammoudi; Aboubaker Garbaj; Musa Alkasak; Ezdehar Althaluti

doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

2026, Vol: 16, Issue: 1

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Research Article

J Microbiol Infect Dis. 2026; 16(1): 1-11

doi: 10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications

Rabia Alghazeer, Sana Elghmasi, Mihayl Varbanov, Stéphanie Philippot, Samia Hawisa, Maamar Sidati, Bashir Lwaleed, Salah Azwai, Ibrahim Eldaghayes, Fatim Gammoudi, Aboubaker Garbaj, Musa Alkasak, Ezdehar Althaluti.

Abstract
Background:
Hypericum triquetrifolium (HT) is an herbal medicine that has promising pharmacological properties and is traditionally used to treat multiple diseases.

Aim:
This study examined the chemical composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties of HT, focusing on its impact on the cytopathic effect of human coronavirus-229E (HCoV-229E).

Methods:
The phytochemical content and in vitro bioactivity of the aqueous extract of HT collected from Al Marj, Libya, were documented. Common antioxidants were quantified, and the antioxidant activity of the extract was assessed using standard methods. The anti-inflammatory effect of albumin denaturation was evaluated. In this study, we determined the cytotoxicity on Medical Research Council-5 cells and antiviral activity by measuring the extract’s ability to inhibit the cytopathic effect of HCoV-229E on MRC-5 cells.

Results:
The phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, proanthocyanidin, anthocyanidin, and catechin, and a high total phenolic content. The extract possessed strong free radical scavenging activity. In addition, the HT extract significantly inhibited heat-induced albumin denaturation, demonstrating its anti-inflammatory effect. The extract significantly inhibited the cytopathic effect of HCoV-229E on MRC-5 cells, indicating for the first time the antiviral effect of HT.

Conclusion:
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that HT extract has low cytotoxicity and potential antiviral activity against a surrogate human coronavirus. Although these results are promising, they are based on in vitro testing with HCoV-229E, and further studies, including in vivo and clinical investigations, are necessary to assess the relevance of HCoV-2 to severe acute respiratory syndrome-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses.

Key words: Hypericum triquetrifolium; Flavonoids; Phenols; Antioxidant activity; COVID-19.

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How to Cite this Article

Pubmed Style

Alghazeer R, Elghmasi S, Varbanov M, Philippot S, Hawisa S, Sidati M, Lwaleed B, Azwai S, Eldaghayes I, Gammoudi F, Garbaj A, Alkasak M, Althaluti E. Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications. J Microbiol Infect Dis. 2026; 16(1): 1-11. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

Web Style

Alghazeer R, Elghmasi S, Varbanov M, Philippot S, Hawisa S, Sidati M, Lwaleed B, Azwai S, Eldaghayes I, Gammoudi F, Garbaj A, Alkasak M, Althaluti E. Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications. https://www.jmidonline.org/?mno=283728 [Access: December 31, 2025]. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Alghazeer R, Elghmasi S, Varbanov M, Philippot S, Hawisa S, Sidati M, Lwaleed B, Azwai S, Eldaghayes I, Gammoudi F, Garbaj A, Alkasak M, Althaluti E. Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications. J Microbiol Infect Dis. 2026; 16(1): 1-11. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Alghazeer R, Elghmasi S, Varbanov M, Philippot S, Hawisa S, Sidati M, Lwaleed B, Azwai S, Eldaghayes I, Gammoudi F, Garbaj A, Alkasak M, Althaluti E. Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications. J Microbiol Infect Dis. (2026), [cited December 31, 2025]; 16(1): 1-11. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

Harvard Style

Alghazeer, R., Elghmasi, . S., Varbanov, . M., Philippot, . S., Hawisa, . S., Sidati, . M., Lwaleed, . B., Azwai, . S., Eldaghayes, . I., Gammoudi, . F., Garbaj, . A., Alkasak, . M. & Althaluti, . E. (2026) Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications. J Microbiol Infect Dis, 16 (1), 1-11. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

Turabian Style

Alghazeer, Rabia, Sana Elghmasi, Mihayl Varbanov, Stéphanie Philippot, Samia Hawisa, Maamar Sidati, Bashir Lwaleed, Salah Azwai, Ibrahim Eldaghayes, Fatim Gammoudi, Aboubaker Garbaj, Musa Alkasak, and Ezdehar Althaluti. 2026. Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications. Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 16 (1), 1-11. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

Chicago Style

Alghazeer, Rabia, Sana Elghmasi, Mihayl Varbanov, Stéphanie Philippot, Samia Hawisa, Maamar Sidati, Bashir Lwaleed, Salah Azwai, Ibrahim Eldaghayes, Fatim Gammoudi, Aboubaker Garbaj, Musa Alkasak, and Ezdehar Althaluti. "Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications." Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 16 (2026), 1-11. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Alghazeer, Rabia, Sana Elghmasi, Mihayl Varbanov, Stéphanie Philippot, Samia Hawisa, Maamar Sidati, Bashir Lwaleed, Salah Azwai, Ibrahim Eldaghayes, Fatim Gammoudi, Aboubaker Garbaj, Musa Alkasak, and Ezdehar Althaluti. "Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications." Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 16.1 (2026), 1-11. Print. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Alghazeer, R., Elghmasi, . S., Varbanov, . M., Philippot, . S., Hawisa, . S., Sidati, . M., Lwaleed, . B., Azwai, . S., Eldaghayes, . I., Gammoudi, . F., Garbaj, . A., Alkasak, . M. & Althaluti, . E. (2026) Cytotoxic, anti-coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of Hypericum triquetrifolium: Potential therapeutic applications. Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 16 (1), 1-11. doi:10.5455/JMID.2026.v16.i1.1

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