Bovine lactoferrin inhibits echovirus endocytic pathway by interacting with viral structural polypeptides.

Lactoferrin, an 80 kDa bi-globular iron-binding glycoprotein belonging to the transferrin family, is a pleiotropic factor with potent antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities, present in breast milk, in mucosal secretions, and in the secondary granules of neutrophils. Recently, we have shown that bovine lactoferrin prevents the early phases of echovirus infection and also acts as a survival factor inhibiting viral-induced apoptosis. In the present research we investigated the mechanism of bovine lactoferrin anti-echoviral effect demonstrating that echovirus enters susceptible cells by an endocytic pathway and that lactoferrin treatment is able to prevent viral genome delivery into the cytoplasm. It is likely that lactoferrin interaction with echovirus capsid proteins induces alterations that stabilize the conformation of the virion making it resistant to uncoating. Taken together, the results of our study show that the inhibition of echovirus 6 infectivity by lactoferrin is dependent on its interaction not only with cell surface glycosaminoglycan chains but also with viral structural proteins demonstrating that this glycoprotein targets the virus entry process.

Bovine lactoferrin peptidic fragments involved in inhibition of Echovirus 6 in vitro infection.

Bovine lactoferrin is a multifunctional glycoprotein folded in two symmetric globular lobes (N- and C-lobes), each being able to bind one ferric ion. We have previously demonstrated that this protein is able to prevent echovirus-induced apoptosis. In the present study, we have investigated both the role of tryptic fragments of bovine lactoferrin and the mechanism of lactoferrin effect on echovirus infection. Results obtained showed that bovine lactoferrin inhibits echovirus-induced cytopathic effect and antigen synthesis in a dose-dependent manner and that this protein is able to prevent viral replication when added not only during the entire cycle of infection but also before, during or after the viral adsorption step. The N-terminal cationic peptide was sufficient to prevent viral binding. Our data suggest that lactoferrin inhibition of echovirus attachment to cell receptors could be mediated by the cluster of positive charges at its N-terminus (lactoferricin).

Inhibitory activity of bovine lactoferrin against echovirus induced programmed cell death in vitro.

Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein and plays an important role in defence against pathogens. Although the antiviral activity of lactoferrin is one of the major biological functions of such protein, the mechanism of action is still under debate. The effect of lactoferrin on echovirus 6 infection in vitro was analysed and results showed that (i) cells infected with echovirus 6, died as a result of apoptosis and that (ii) programmed cell death was inhibited by lactoferrin treatment. In this report, we demonstrate that lactoferrin can exert its anti-enteroviral activity by preventing viral-induced apoptosis.

Antiviral activity of betulin, betulinic and betulonic acids against some enveloped and non-enveloped viruses.

Antiviral properties of betulin, betulinic and betulonic acids were investigated in cell cultures infected with herpes simplex type I, influenza FPV/Rostock and ECHO 6 viruses. All studied triterpenes were active against herpes simplex virus. Betulin and especially betulinic acid also suppressed ECHO 6 virus reproduction.

Influence of polyions on the early steps of enterovirus infection.

The influence of electric charged molecules on the early phases of enterovirus infection was studied in order to select antiviral compounds able to prevent viral attachment. The effect of different polyelectrolytes on the multiplication of coxsackie virus B3, echovirus 6 and hepatitis A virus was investigated in susceptible cells by adding the drug before, during or after the viral adsorption period. Among polyanions, the polysaccharides heparin and dextran sulfate inhibited viral infectivity, dextran sulfate being the most effective mainly towards hepatitis A virus infection. DEAE-dextran and protamine sulfate, generally recognized as enhancers of infectivity of naked and enveloped viruses, exhibited an inhibitory effect towards the three picornaviruses tested. Only in the case of hepatitis A did DEAE-dextran slightly improve viral antigen synthesis. The inhibitory effect shown by compounds belonging to positive and negative polyions suggests that the electric charge is not sufficient by itself to explain the antiviral activity of these drugs.

[Experimental microbiological research on instrument and denture disinfection with a disinfectant spray for dental practice and the use of patients. 2. Virological studies; the evaluation summary]. / Mikrobiologisch-experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Instrumenten- und Prothesendesinfektion mit Desinfektionsmittel-Sprays für die stomatologische Praxis und zu Händen des Patienten. 2. Mitteilung: Virologische Untersuchungen; zusammenfassende Bewertung.

Carrier experiments using Echo- and Influenza-viruses on denture basis resins and fragments of orthodontic appliances resulted in good and even very good virucidal effects of disinfectant sprays Desident and Fesia-sept. The application of the disinfectant as spray seem to be advantageous, but is not recommendable. The diverse causes of this conclusion are discussed and an alternative way is proposed.

In vitro and in vivo anti-picornavirus activity of some p-benzoylphenoxypyridines.

Fifteen p-benzoylphenoxypyridines were initially evaluated for their in vitro activity against rhinoviruses (RV) 1A, 2 and 64 and coxsackie virus (Cox) A21 and for their oral prophylactic and therapeutic activity in Swiss albino mice lethally challenged with Cox A21. One compound, (4-[(5-methylsulfonyl-2-pyridinyl)oxy]phenyl) phenyl methanone, was selected for additional evaluation. These studies showed the compound to possess MIC50 values of less than or equal to 5 micrograms/ml against only 6 of 20 (30.0%) RV serotypes tested. In contrast, the compound was active at concentrations of less than or equal to 5.0 micrograms/ml against 10 of 12 (83.3%) enteroviruses evaluated. In vivo studies showed the compound to significantly protect mice lethally infected with Cox A21 after a single oral dose of 37.5 mg/kg (P less than 0.02) and during a regimen of continuous oral doses of at least 4.7 mg/kg per day (P less than 0.001). Mechanism of action studies indicated that the compound inhibits picornavirus uncoating or some earlier virus-host cell-associated event. Isotopic studies show that (4-[(5-methylsulfonyl-2-pyridinyl)oxy]phenyl) phenyl methanone perturbs HeLa cell macromolecular synthesis at concentrations of as low as 3.12 micrograms/ml. This concentration is only 4-fold higher than the concentration of compound necessary to inhibit Cox A21 RNA synthesis by 90%. This narrow therapeutic ratio limits the potential clinical utility of this compound to all but the most serious picornavirus infections.