In Vitro Antiviral-Associated Evaluation of Selected Prebiotics, Probiotic-Derived Preparations, and Synbiotic Formulations Against HSV-1 and VSV.

This study evaluated the in vitro antiviral-associated effects of prebiotics, probiotic-derived preparations, and synbiotic formulations against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in Vero cells. Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, and L. plantarum preparations were tested as cell-free supernatants, cell sonicates, and combinations with plant-derived prebiotic extracts. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT assay to determine non-cytotoxic concentrations, while antiviral activity was evaluated by cytopathic effect (CPE)-based TCID50 endpoint titration. Several preparations produced statistically significant reductions in viral infectivity compared with untreated controls (p < 0.05). Among the tested preparations, L. plantarum and L. acidophilus showed the greatest reductions in infectivity, with reductions reaching approximately 41.66% for HSV-1 and 38.88% for VSV under the tested experimental conditions. Selected synbiotic formulations also demonstrated measurable reductions in infectivity. These findings suggest that probiotic-derived preparations and synbiotic formulations may reduce infectivity of both DNA and RNA viral models in vitro and warrant further investigation as adjunct antiviral strategies.