Next Article in Journal
Association Between Clinical Frailty and Antibiotic Resistance Among Older Patients with Fever in the Emergency Department
Previous Article in Journal
Metagenomic Profiling of Soil Microbiomes and Resistomes in Arid Ecosystems of Kuwait
Previous Article in Special Issue
Screening and Cohorting of CRE Patients: The Strategic Role of Bed Management in a Monocentric Pre–Post Observational Study
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Antibiotics
Volume 15
Issue 3
10.3390/antibiotics15030295
antibiotics-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Lemon Juice Activity Against Caprine Alphaherpesvirus-1: An In Vitro Study

by
Francesco Pellegrini
1,
Gianvito Lanave
1,
Cristiana Catella
1,
Vanessa Bachmann
1,
Marinella Dibari
1,
Maria Tempesta
1,
Vito Martella
1,
Nicola Decaro
1,
Claudia Maria Trombetta
2 and
Michele Camero
1,*
1
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Valenzano, Italy
2
Department of Molecular Medicine and Development, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Antibiotics 2026, 15(3), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030295
Submission received: 9 February 2026 / Revised: 3 March 2026 / Accepted: 11 March 2026 / Published: 14 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics in Pathogen Control: From Infection to Antimicrobial Resistance)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

Caprine herpesvirus 1 (CpHV-1) is responsible for significant economic losses in goat farming. The CpHV-1 genital infection in goats has been used as a homologous animal model for the study of human herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). This study aimed to investigate the in vitro virucidal and antiviral effect of lemon juice (LJ) and its main component, citric acid (CA), against CpHV-1 on Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cells. Cytotoxicity was assessed using an XTT assay, while viral titers were determined by the Reed–Muench method and viral DNA was quantified via qPCR. Pure LJ (pH 2.3) and its corresponding CA solution demonstrated potent and rapid virucidal activity, reducing the viral titer by over 5.0 log10 TCID50/50 µL within 1 min. When applied after viral entry, a non-cytotoxic dilution of LJ (pH 4.32) significantly inhibited viral replication, causing a 2.5 log10 TCID50/50 µL reduction in viral titer and a corresponding decrease in viral DNA. The antiviral effects were minimal at a near-neutral pH of 6.67, probably interacting with envelope structures. These results suggest that LJ could be a potential low-cost topical agent or disinfectant for controlling CpHV-1 in goat populations and offer a basis for translational research on human herpesviruses.
Keywords: caprine herpesvirus 1; lemon juice; antiviral; virucidal; herpesviridae caprine herpesvirus 1; lemon juice; antiviral; virucidal; herpesviridae

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Pellegrini, F.; Lanave, G.; Catella, C.; Bachmann, V.; Dibari, M.; Tempesta, M.; Martella, V.; Decaro, N.; Trombetta, C.M.; Camero, M. Lemon Juice Activity Against Caprine Alphaherpesvirus-1: An In Vitro Study. Antibiotics 2026, 15, 295. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030295

AMA Style

Pellegrini F, Lanave G, Catella C, Bachmann V, Dibari M, Tempesta M, Martella V, Decaro N, Trombetta CM, Camero M. Lemon Juice Activity Against Caprine Alphaherpesvirus-1: An In Vitro Study. Antibiotics. 2026; 15(3):295. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030295

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pellegrini, Francesco, Gianvito Lanave, Cristiana Catella, Vanessa Bachmann, Marinella Dibari, Maria Tempesta, Vito Martella, Nicola Decaro, Claudia Maria Trombetta, and Michele Camero. 2026. "Lemon Juice Activity Against Caprine Alphaherpesvirus-1: An In Vitro Study" Antibiotics 15, no. 3: 295. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030295

APA Style

Pellegrini, F., Lanave, G., Catella, C., Bachmann, V., Dibari, M., Tempesta, M., Martella, V., Decaro, N., Trombetta, C. M., & Camero, M. (2026). Lemon Juice Activity Against Caprine Alphaherpesvirus-1: An In Vitro Study. Antibiotics, 15(3), 295. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030295

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop