A revisit through history reveals that viral outbreaks like smallpox, polio, measles, Ebola, SARS, MERS, Hanta, to the current pandemic COVID-19 have has jeopardised millions of lives across the globe. Currently there is no vaccine available for many viral diseases. Hence, we rely on anti-viral therapies which target various phases of viral replication. Patients across the world also consume herbal supplements to gain an effective therapeutic approach by enhancing the body's innate immune mechanism and manage the side effects. Immunomodulators like Immusante®, a herbal formulation composed of Shanta (Prosopis glandulosa) and Lodhra (Symplocos racemose) proprietorship of ‘Himalaya Wellness Company’ is commonly used as an adjuvant therapy along with anti-viral, anti-tubercular and anti-cancer drugs to support impaired immune system and increase the chance of long-term disease-free state by mitigating relapse. With growing understanding of plant based complementary or alternative medicine, it is necessary to assess the herb-drug interactions. Present study aims to establish an authenticated LC-MS/MS, in vivo model for real-time quantification of Acyclovir, Lamivudine and Amantadine in rat plasma based on US-FDA guidelines in the presence of Immusante. A sensitive LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated to assess the drug-herbal interactions and our results suggest that Immusante® could be a supplement to these potent antiviral drugs without any pharmacokinetic interactions.
Key words: antiviral drugs, drug-drug interactions, Pharmacokinetics, Immusante
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