ABSTRACT
This study aimed to review zinc's effectiveness as an antivirus in treating herpes simplex virus infection. The authors use international journals published from 2000-2022, and use search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct with the keywords "zinc and herpes simplex virus". The herpes simplex virus that often causes symptoms in humans are HSV type 1 and type 2. The lesions appear as vesicles which then rupture into ulcers. Zinc is one of the most abundant nutrients or metals in the human body besides iron. Studies about the effects of zinc on HSV have shown that it has the function of inhibiting the viral life cycle. HSV attaches to the host cells to replicate and synthesize new viral proteins. Zinc can inhibit this process by depositing on the surface of the virion and inactivating the enzymatic function which is required for the attachment to the host cell, disrupting the surface glycoprotein of the viral membrane so it could not adhere and carry out the next life cycle, it can also inhibit the function of DNA polymerase that works for viral replication in the host cell. This article showed that zinc has effectiveness as an antivirus against the herpes simplex virus, therefore, patients infected with HSV can be treated with zinc as an alternative to an antivirus drug.Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster is a viral infection triggered due to the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus in the posterior dorsal root ganglion. Herpes zoster infections occur mostly in the facial, cervical and thoracic region of the body beginning with pain and resulted in the vesicular eruption. Recently, this infection is observed during the Covid-19 pandemic and also after the induction of mRNA-based vaccine for coronavirus at an extended level. Nanocochleates are cylindrical (cigar-shape) microstructure lipid-based versatile carriers for the drug delivery systems. Famciclovir is an antiviral agent employed for the treatment of Herpes zoster infections. OBJECTIVE: The current research aimed at the development of a novel nanocochleate gel of Famciclovir for the treatment of herpes zoster infections with higher efficacy. METHODS: The interaction studies using FTIR were carried out and indicated no such interactions among the drug and lipids. The nanocochleates were developed using hydrogel, trapping, liposome before cochleate dialysis, direct calcium dialysis and binary aqueous-aqueous emulsion methods respectively. The 32 Box-Behnken design was applied by considering the concentration of lipids (phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol) and speed of rotation as independent factors, whereas a particle size and entrapment efficiency as dependable factors. RESULTS: The developed nanocochleates were estimated for the particle size (276.3 nm), zeta potential (-16.7 mV), polydispersity index (0.241), entrapment efficiency (73.87±0.19 %) and in-vitro diffusion release (>98.8 % in 10 h). The optimized batch was further converted into the topical gel using carbopol 940 as a gelling agent. The prepared gel was smooth, rapidly spreadable with a viscosity (5998.72 cp), drug content (95.3 %) and remain stable during stability studies. CONCLUSION: A novel nanocochleate gel of Famciclovir was successfully developed for the treatment of infections associated with Herpes Zoster with sustained release action.
ABSTRACT
The consumption of famciclovir (FCV) has been increased dramatically since the outbreak of coronavirus in 2019, and the pollution and harm of FCV in waters are concerned. Here, by utilizing aryl halides on 2, 4, 6-tris(4-bromophenyl)- 1, 3, 5-triazine (BPT) and primary amine groups on benzidine (BZ), a novel conjugated microporous polymer, namely BPT-BZ-CMP, was synthesized by Buchwald-Hartwig coupling reaction and applied in the removal of FCV from aqueous solution firstly. The synthesized BPT-BZ-CMP were characterized by various methods, including FTIR, SEM, BET, and Zeta-potential. Due to the micropore structure and high specific surface area, it took only 30 min for BPT-BZ-CMP to adsorb FCV to reach an equilibrium, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 347.8 mg·g-1. The Liu and pseudo-second-order kinetic models properly fit the adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data, respectively. The adsorption process was a spontaneous process, and the hydrogen bonding, π-π interaction and C-H···π interaction enhanced the adsorption of FCV on BPT-BZ-CMP. BPT-BZ-CMP maintained a good adsorption capacity after four consecutive adsorption-desorption cycle experiments. This study confirmed the potential of BPT-BZ-CMP as efficient sorbent to remove FCV from aqueous solutions.
ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has a broad spectrum of manifestations. A variety of dermatological manifestations were described. We present a case of an immunocompetent middle-aged man who presented with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and later developed herpes zoster (HZ). The case highlights the possibility of COVID-19-related HZ. The highest infection control measures must be abided when managing patients with cutaneous complaints until COVID-19 is ruled out.