Table. COMPARISON of ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY of FRUITS (ORAC*)
*ORAC: O – Oxygen R – Radical A – Absorbance C – Capacity

ORAC values from USDA Published Data & Nutrient Database. Values based upon 100 g of raw fruits.

Fusion of the health benefits of two traditionally used fruits with the highest ORAC* scale indices – chokeberry and elderberry – the innovative, standardized composition of Fenactive™ supports the body’s natural defensive functions, ensuring i.a.:

• effective prevention and/or treatment of respiratory infections caused by viruses (blocking adhesion of the virus to host cells, inhibiting its replication and transmission from cell to cell, and stimulating the response from the immune system) and/or bacteria,
• preventing conditions resulting from oxidative stress or supporting their treatment (restoring balance between antioxidative and prooxidative processes; reducing inflammation in the body).

The Elderberry and chokeberry fruits, containing a number of health-promoting ingredients, stand out thanks to their high, multi-directional biological activity. They are an extremely rich source of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins. Due to their strong antioxidant effect, these compounds largely determine the health-promoting properties of these raw materials, including their antiviral, antibacterial, immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory properties [1,2,3].

Antiviral properties of elderberry and chokeberry are most often attributed to the following mechanisms:

• blocking of hemagglutinin (HA), which prevents adhesion [4,5] and penetration [4] of the virus into host cells,
• inhibiting reproduction of the virus [5,6],
• preventing further transmission of the virus from cell to cell [4], by inhibiting neuraminidase [7].

Active antiviral agents include various polyphenolic compounds such as cyanidin-3-glucoside present in both elderberry [4,8] and chokeberry [9], and cyanidin-3-sambubioside present in elderberry [7,9].

An equally important, indirect, mechanism of combatting viral infection – present both in elderberry [4] and chokeberry – is the stimulation of the immune system response.

Table. Antiviral activity of the Fenactive™ composition

Fenactive™ – inhibition of replication of tested viruses.

Description: Cytopathic effects of influenza A/H1N1 virus are shown in the images above (A/H1N1) versus control (MDCK).
Inhibitory effect of Fenactive™ on influenza virus replication is shown for MNCT (Maximum Nontoxic Contentration).

Studies* to determine antiviral properties of the Fenactive™ complex were conducted in the reference Laboratory of Virology of the Institute of Immunology and Experimental of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The following test viruses were used in the experiments:

• A/H1N1 human influenza virus type A  (Influenzavirus A, Orthomyxoviridae),
• HHV-1 human herpesvirus 1 (Herpesviridae),
• HAdV-5 human adenovirus type 5 (Human adenovirus 5; Adenoviridae).

After conducting experiments according to the study protocol, it was found that Fenactive™ showed antiviral activity when administered after infection with the test viruses.

The maximum non-toxic concentration (MNCT) of Fenactive™ inhibited replication (multiplication of influenza A/H1N1 virus) by 80%. Moreover, Fenactive™ inhibited replication of herpesvirus HHV-1 and adenovirus HAdV-5.

The study compared the maximum non-toxic concentration (MNCT) of Fenactive™, which inhibited the proliferation of influenza A/H1N1 virus, to single doses of elderberry and chokeberry extracts alone. The results indicate that it is the appropriately selected extract content of the Fenactive™ composition that allows it to maintain high antiviral activity at generally lower concentrations. The use of single extracts does not bring synergistic effects.

In order to confirm immunostimulating effect of the Fenactive™ composition and to compare the effect of single elderberry and chokeberry extracts, tests were performed on PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cells)**.

It has been confirmed that immunostimulating effect of the appropriately selected composition of Fenactive™ is stronger  than that of the individual elderberry and chokeberry extracts.