Bidara Upas (Merremia mammosa Hall) Antiviral Activity Against SARS-COV-2

The world was startled in December 2019 by the emergence of an unprecedented pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, with an unknown cause. However, on January 7, 2020, researchers successfully identified the responsible agent as a novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, the medicinal properties of bidara upas (Merremia mammosa Hall), a plant belonging to the Convolvulaceae tribe and commonly found in Indonesia and Malaysia, garnered attention due to its long history of use in traditional medicine for treating respiratory ailments. As a result, a study was conducted to investigate the antiviral potential of the ethanol extract of bidara upas against SARS-CoV-2. The research incorporated various methods such as cytotoxicity tests on the ethanol extract of bidara upas tuber, inhibition tests, RT-PCR, and plaque assays. Through toxicity tests, it was determined that a concentration of 500 ppm exhibited no harmful effects on cells. In the virus inhibition test using plaque assay, concentrations of 62.5 ppm, 125 ppm, 250 ppm, and 500 ppm demonstrated inhibition powers of 59.54%, 74.7%, 74.68%, and 79.27%, respectively. RT-PCR results varied across different concentrations, using the E and RdRp genes as references. CT values were increasing as compared to the negative control, indicating a decrease in viral load due to the sample treatment. Based on the findings of the virus inhibition test, RT-PCR, and plaque assay, it can be concluded that the ethanol extract of bidara upas tuber has potential as an antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2.