[Prospects For the Use of Peptides against Respiratory Syncytial Virus].

[Prospects For the Use of Peptides against Respiratory Syncytial Virus]. Mol Biol (Mosk). 2019 Jul-Aug;53(4):541-560 Authors: Shilovskiy IP, Andreev SM, Kozhikhova KV, Nikolskii AA, Khaitov MR Abstract The human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common viral pathogens that affects the lower respiratory tract and could be a reason of bronchiolitis and/or pneumonia. Currently, there are no available effective ways of treating the RSV infection. Attempts to develop preventive vaccine have been unsuccessful. The only therapeutic agent used for RSV treatment is virazole (ribavirin); however, it induces adverse effects. Medications based on neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, such as IGIV (Respigam), palivizumab (Synagis), and MEDI-524 (Numab), are under clinical trials; however, their use will be limited by their high cost. One of the promising approaches for antiviral therapy is the use of natural peptides (defensins and cathelicidins), or their synthetic analogs. The majority of currently described antiviral peptides are developed against the human immunodeficiency virus, the herpes simplex virus, and the influenza virus. At the same time, a body of experimental data evidencing anti-RSV activity of peptides has been accumulated. The main advantages of peptide drugs are their wide spectrum of antiviral activity and low toxicity. However, there are obstacles in implementing peptide-based drugs in clinical practice. Due ...
Source: Molekuliarnaia Biologiia - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Tags: Mol Biol (Mosk) Source Type: research