Abstract:

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) is the primary etiological agent of Bovine Viral Diarrhea-Mucosal Disease (BVD-MD), causing clinical manifestations such as fever, erosive and necrotic lesions of the oral and gastrointestinal mucosa, diarrhea, abortion in pregnant cows, fetal malformations, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and immunosuppression in calves. These symptoms impair herd health and cause significant economic losses, hindering the healthy and sustainable development of the cattle industry. Currently, vaccination and herd purification are the primary control measures; however, the limited protective efficacy of vaccines and the complexity and high cost of herd eradication programs pose significant challenges for implementation. Consequently, the development of safe and effective antiviral drugs as a complementary strategy is essential. However, no specific anti-BVDV therapeutics are available, significantly impeding disease control in production settings. In recent years, with advances in antiviral drug research, natural plant extracts have emerged as a promising resource for antiviral drug development due to their widespread availability, safety, efficacy, and multifaceted mechanisms. This review systematically summarizes recent progress in anti-BVDV plant extracts, focusing on their molecular targets and mechanisms, particularly their ability to exert antiviral effects through viral neutralization, suppression of viral replication, modulation of host immune responses, and alleviation of oxidative stress. These findings provide a robust scientific foundation for developing natural plant extracts as anti-BVDV therapeutics, highlighting their unique advantages in antiviral applications, and offer prospects and recommendations for future research.

Key words: bovine viral diarrhea virus, plant extracts, molecular target, in vitro studies, antiviral activity