Compounds to combat cold sores

Chemistry World ^ | 01 February 2011 | Elinor Richards

[neverdem]

New compounds to fight the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), which causes cold sores, have been made by researchers from Italy. The compounds' antiviral activity could be enhanced further by encapsulating them in a cyclodextrin nanocarrier that acts as a delivery system. 

Giovanni Grassi and colleagues from the University of Messina made indole-3,4-diones that share structural features with inhibitors of kinase - an enzyme linked to many diseases. The inhibitors were recently reported to prevent viral replication in vitro. 'The diones showed remarkable anti HSV-1 activity in vitro,' says Grassi. They then encapsulated the most effective dione in an amphiphilic - both hydrophilic and lipophilic - cyclodextrin. These nanocarriers increased the ability of the antiviral agents to penetrate into target cells. 

The herpes simplex virus is a DNA virus that can cause a variety of conditions from cold sores through to life threatening diseases. Some strains of the virus have become resistant to the current treatment, aciclovir, so researchers are searching for new treatments. Grassi says that his compounds are highly soluble in organic solvents and water and 'could overcome the limited solubility in water and limited oral bioavailability of aciclovir.'  

Indole-3,4-diones were encapsulated in cyclodextrin nanocarriers, increasing their ability to penetrate into target herpes simplex virus cells

'Grassi and colleagues have clearly shown that the cyclodextrins have advantages over unmodified cyclodextrins for cell delivery,' says Raphael Darcy, an expert in cyclodextrins from University College Dublin, Ireland.

'Viral infections are one of the most serious threats to human health,' says Grassi. 'Compared with the number of drugs available to treat bacterial infections, the number of antiviral drugs is small.' This is because of the difficulty in obtaining selective toxicity against viruses and the emergence of drug resistant viral mutants.

'Incorporating an antiviral drug in an engineered nanocarrier is a tool to optimise drug distribution in the body, allowing a specific delivery to the target site and limiting undesired effects,' says Grassi. A future challenge will be to incorporate several bioactive guests into the same nanocarrier. This could lead to therapeutic systems with many functions, he adds, to deliver optimised combinations of conventional drugs for customised medicine. 

 

Link to journal article

Synthesis and anti HSV-1 evaluation of novel indole-3,4-diones
Angela Scala, Massimiliano Cordaro, Antonino Mazzaglia, Francesco Risitano, Assunta Venuti, Maria Teresa Sciortino and Giovanni Grassi, Med. Chem. Commun., 2011
DOI: 10.1039/c0md00190b

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[Quix]

THANKS MUCH.

Saving in a Word Health file.

[Domestic Church]

I suppose windex might work.

[Domestic Church]

I suppose windex might work.

[Domestic Church]

I suppose windex might work.

[Domestic Church]

Sorry about the hiccups!

[SamiGirl]

Thank you so much for the information. I will try and make it myself.

Much appreciated.

Best Regards

[little jeremiah]

Do you have it growing where you live?

It is so useful, I keep finding new uses for it. I used it for two clients who had cancer (well, one had a “pre-cancerous condition” that if not eliminated wihtin a perido of time would have led to major surgery) and both recuperated fully. I use it for flu especially.

[SamiGirl]

Hi Little Jeremiah,

I don’t know if it grows by me. I live in New Jersey. To be honest, I’ve never heard of it before.

Tried to look it up last night, but the info wasn’t clear. I need to dig deeper and see what else I find. I’m wondering if I can order the dry flowers from the Net.

Thank you so much for your help.

Best Regards,

Sami

[little jeremiah]

If you have a good sized yard or acreage you could easily grow it. It likes rich soil and sunlight and plenty of watering. It survives the dry summers here but quits flowering once the rain stops.

I’ve found info mostly in herbs books as well as online. Monterey Bay Spice company sells it and has some interesting info, but the photo of their herb looked PATHETIC - brownish and lots of stems, my dried herb is green and the flowers are still purple, I only pick the flowering tops.

I’ve sent seeds to a few people, I’d be happy to send you some in an envelope. Just freepmail me.

I’m decanting some tincture right now, actually.

[SunkenCiv]

The compounds' antiviral activity could be enhanced further by encapsulating them in a cyclodextrin nanocarrier that acts as a delivery system.

Well of course, that's so obvious. ;') ;') :'D. Thanks neverdem.

[SamiGirl]

Hi Little Jeremiah,

Thank you so much for the offer. I have a neighbor who grows all kinds of beautiful flowers. I’ll ask her. I don’t want to put you through the incovenience. However, if I can’t find any, I’ll ask you and I’ll pay you for them.

Thanks again.

[little jeremiah]

Ah, it’s just the cost of a stamp, nothing to it. If you want any, just freepmail me. The more Prunella, the merrier.

[dblup]

“..now I’m a prunella fan...”

I tried Cruella applied directly to the lips and damned if my whole head didn’t shrivel up!

(sorry...never had a cold sore and couldn’t resist cracking wise...)