Prospectives of herbal remedies in the treatment of caprine semen infected by caprine arthritis encephalitis virus

Abstract

The transmission of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis in semen limits the use of seropositive bucks that have high genetic value. The Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis virus (CAEV) may be found in the form of RNA virus (free virus) or pro-viral DNA within non-spermatic cells in semen. Thus, researches involving plants with potential antiviral activity are promising for developing techniques that allow the use of semen from high-quality production goats that are infected by this virus. Therefore, this review aimed to elucidate the potential of phytocompounds that have known antiviral activity and could be used in studies to assess inactivation of the caprine lentivirus in semen. Several plants from many botanical families have been tested for validation of antiviral effect against viruses that infect animals and humans. Leaves, roots, flowers and seeds have demonstrated promising antiviral substances in their phytochemical composition. According to the type of plant, entire regions of the specimens are used for researching phytocompounds that can serve as alternatives in the treatment of viral diseases. Most of the studies involving this subject focus on secondary metabolites and several have identified high potential compounds with bioactive antiviral activity in different stages of the viral development cycle. Hence, the biodiversity of Brazilian flora, which has a tendency for phytocompound formation, provides adequate material for research aimed at finding a natural alternative to eliminate the risk of CAEV transmission through semen.