Free Republic

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....

Evidence is building that the cold sore virus may be linked to Alzheimer's disease, an expert says. In lab tests, Manchester University found brains infected with the herpes simplex virus, HSV-1, saw a rise in a protein linked to Alzheimer's. Scientists believe the discovery could pave the way for a vaccine that may help prevent the brain disorder, New Scientist magazine reported. But such a breakthrough was a long-time off, experts said. The researchers infected cultures of human brain cells with the virus and found a "dramatic" increase in levels of the beta amyloid protein - the building blocks of...