{
  "abstract": "Background and aim: Otsu-Ji-To (OJT), also known as Eul-ja-tang in Korean, is a traditional herbal formula used to treat hemorrhoids. We investigated its antiviral effects against HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and its variants.\n\nExperimental procedure: Antiviral activity was determined using qRT-PCR, Western blot analysis, immunofluorescent staining assay, plaque reduction assay, or CPE reduction assay. UHPLC-QTOF MS/MS and UHPLC-MRM analyses were used to identify and quantify the OJT's chemical markers. To determine the mode of action, SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and PLpro activity assay kits and a cell-based RdRp activity assay system were used. SARS-CoV-2– or Omicron variant–infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice and hamsters in vivo experiments were conducted.\n\nResults and conclusions: We found that OJT inhibited HCoV-OC43 (IC50 = 674.9 μg/mL), SARS-CoV-2 (IC50 = 236.5 μg/mL), and its variants by reducing viral RNA and protein expression levels as well as attenuating cytopathic effects in vitro. We identified and quantified seven compounds from OJT's herbal components. Baicalein, liquiritigenin, emodin, and rhein exhibited anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity by lowering viral protein expression levels. Furthermore, OJT inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 viral Mpro and PLpro in enzymatic activity assays as well as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in a cell-based assay. In vivo, oral administration of OJT to wild-type SARS-CoV-2– or Omicron variant–infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice and hamsters increased survival rates, reduced viral RNA and protein levels, or improved lung histology, suggesting OJT's therapeutic potential for treating COVID-19. These results suggest that OJT could be a promising therapeutic agent for treating coronavirus infections.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Korean Medicine Application Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daegu, 41062, Republic of Korea",
    "Korean Medicine Convergence Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, 34054, Republic of Korea",
    "College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 28644, Republic of Korea",
    "Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center (K-CTC), Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital, Seoul, 02454, Republic of Korea",
    "Korean Medicine Data Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Young-Hee Jin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mobashira Habib"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Eun Young Oh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Sohyun Park"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "In Jin Ha"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jung Sun Min"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Jiwon Yoon"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Hyeonjeong Park"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Sang-Myeong Lee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sunoh Kwon"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7qzssjchd75hj.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.jtcme.2026.07.001",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13729027/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "7qzssjchd75hj",
  "issns": [
    "2225-4110"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729027",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2725|SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7167249928",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13729027/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13729027",
  "pmid": "42979004",
  "published": "2026-07-03",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7qzssjchd75hj.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:47Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13729027",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729027"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T12:21:52Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13729027",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2026.07.001"
    }
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2725|SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Antiviral effects of traditional herbal medicine Otsu-Ji-To against human coronavirus OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and its variants: in vitro and in vivo studies",
  "title_text": "Antiviral effects of traditional herbal medicine Otsu-Ji-To against human coronavirus OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and its variants: in vitro and in vivo studies",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:21:52Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7qzssjchd75hj",
  "venue": "Journal of traditional and complementary medicine",
  "versions": []
}