Tetra-aqua-bis-[4-(4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)benzoato-κN]manganese(II) deca-hydrate.

In the title compound, [Mn(C(9)H(6)N(3)O(2))(2)(H(2)O)(4)]·10H(2)O, the Mn(II) ion is coordinated by two N atoms from two 4-(4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)benzoate ligands and four water mol-ecules in a distorted octa-hedral geometry. The Mn(II) ion and two coordinated water mol-ecules lie on a twofold rotation axis. The water mol-ecules are involved in O-H⋯N and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds with the triazole N atoms and carboxyl-ate O atoms, yielding a three-dimensional supra-molecular network. π-π inter-actions between the benzene rings [centroid-centroid distance = 3.836 (9) Å] are observed.

Inhibition activities of polysaccharide (RG4-1) from Gentiana rigescens against RSV.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children. With the emergence of drug-resistant strains of RSV, new antiviral agents are needed urgently. Gentiana rigescens is a kind of Chinese herb, belonging to Gentianaceae, which has long been used as a folk medicine for curing inflammation, bacterial infection, viral infection, and so on. In this research, polysaccharide designated RG4-1 was isolated from G. rigescens by hot water extraction, ethanol precipitation, and macroreticular adsorbing resin column chromatography, and its antiviral activity, cytotoxicity, and possible antiviral mechanisms were assayed by cytopathogenic effect inhibition assay, 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and plaque reduction assay. RG4-1 was a fructose-binding lectin. In host cell cultures, RG4-1 was found to be an effective antiviral component against RSV. It showed good inhibitory effect against RSV when it was added 2 h after virus infection with 50% effective concentration of 12.86 µg/ml. RG4-1 also displayed its direct inactivation, attachment inhibition effect, and penetration inhibition effect against RSV. A time-dependent experiment was set up to confirm that RG4-1 blocked RSV infection at early stages of the infection. But RG4-1 seemed to be ineffective against intracellular virus and viral biosynthesis.

An improved embryonated chicken egg model for the evaluation of antiviral drugs against influenza A virus.

Influenza is a serious global public health problem and an economic burden. With the continual emergence of new influenza A virus strains, new antiviral drugs are needed urgently. In this study, an improved embryonated chicken egg model for evaluating antiviral activity against Influenza A virus was developed. In the model, the influenza A virus was injected into the allantoic cavity and ribavirin was injected into the albumen of the egg. The levels of influenza A virus in the allantoic fluid was titrated by the hemagglutination test after incubation for 72 h at 35.5 degrees C and 12 h at 4 degrees C. Ribavirin treatment at a dose of 25 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg decreased significantly the hemagglutination titers both of Influenza virus A/FM1, H1N1 (IVA1) (p < 0.01) and influenza virus A/Wuhan/359/95, H3N2 (IVA3) (p < 0.01). In a time-dependent drug addition assay, significant efficacy of ribavirin against both IVA1 and IVA3 was observed when the drug was administered before and shortly after viral inoculation (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). In conclusion, ribavirin treatment showed significant antiviral activity against IVA1 and IVA3 in this model, suggesting that the improved model would be useful for evaluating the anti-influenza virus activity of potential inhibitors.

[The anti-respiratory syncytial virus effect of active compound of Glycyrrhiza GD4 in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect on anti-respiratory syncytial virus of an active compound GD4 from Glycyrrhiza in vitro. METHODS: GD4 was extracted from Glycyrrhiza by hot water extraction, dichloromethane extraction and column chromatography. The CPE inhibition assay was used to test the antiviral activity of GD4 on RSV in Hela cells. RESULTS: GD4 was effective antiviral agent for RSV in a concentration-dependent manner and its median toxic concentration (TC50) and median effeicacious concentration (EC50) and treatment index (TI) was 0.23 mg/ml, 28.73 microg/ml and 8.0. 120 microg/ml GD4 exhibited inhibitory effect when added into cell culture for every 2h within 12h post-infection. GD4 didn't contain glycyrrhizic acid. CONCLUSION: The active compound of Glycyrrhiza (GD4) was an evident inhibitory effect on RSV.

[The anti-respiratory syncytial virus effect of an active compound (AP3) from a Chinese medicinal herb-Herba patriniae in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect on anti-respiratory syncytial virus of an active compound (AP3) from a Chinese medicinal herb-Herba patriniae in vitro. METHODS: Active component of herba patriniae (AP3) was extracted and its anti-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) effect was tested. A water soluble substance (AP3) was isolated from a Chinese herb Herba patriniae, by hot water extraction, ethol precipitation and gel permeation column chromatography. The cytotoxicity of AP3 was tested by adding it to HeLa cells directly. Its effect against RSV was estimated by CPEI assay while ribavirin was used as positive control. RESULTS: Chemical test showed that the nature of substance AP3 was polysaccharide. The median cytotoxic concentration (TC(50)) of AP3 was 11.45 mg/ml by morphological observation and the median effective concentration (50% effective concentration, EC(50)) of it against replication of the long strain of RSV in HeLa cells was 0.0986 mg/ml. The Therapeutic index (TI = TC(50)/EC(50)) of AP3 was 116.12, much higher than the TI of herba patriniae (AP1) (TI = 59.26) and ribavirin (TI = 53.45). Moreover, AP3 gave a dose-dependent response in inhibiting RSV. In the assay, the effect of AP3 against RSV growth was also tested. In addition, the effect of AP3 on virus growth, AP3 inhibited replication of RSV in HeLa cells, when added at 0 h, 2 h, 4 h after virus infection, were also tested. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that the AP3 exerted an obvious inhibitory effect to RSV in HeLa cell culture. This study furnished a reliable evidence for development of a new antiviral drug.

[Identification studies of wild and cultivated Rhodiola saccharinensis A. Bor and Rhodiola angusta Nakai taken from Changbai Mountains by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry].

The petroleum ether, chloroform, and methyl alcohol extracts of wild and cultivated Rhodiola saccharinensis A. Bor and Rhodila angusta Nakai taken from Changbai Mountains, and obtained by the same isolation procedure, were for the first time studied with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FTIR), and the spectra obtained were compared with those of a sort of goods named Rhodiola Cake (Hong Jing Tian Kuai). It was shown that the infrared spectra of the wild and cultivated Rhodiola saccharinensis A. Bor and Rhodila angusta Nakai are different, which can be used to determine and evaluate their respective species.