Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 86: Ginkgolic Acid Inhibits Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Skin Infection and Prevents Zosteriform Spread in Mice

Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 86: Ginkgolic Acid Inhibits Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Skin Infection and Prevents Zosteriform Spread in Mice Viruses doi: 10.3390/v13010086 Authors: Maimoona S. Bhutta Oren Shechter Elisa S. Gallo Stephen D. Martin Esther Jones Gustavo F. Doncel Ronen Borenstein Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) causes a lifelong latent infection with an estimated global prevalence of 66%. Primary and recurrent HSV infections are characterized by a tingling sensation, followed by an eruption of vesicles, which can cause painful erosions. Commonly used antiviral drugs against HSV infection are nucleoside analogues including acyclovir (ACV), famciclovir, and valacyclovir. Although these nucleoside analogues reduce morbidity and mortality in immunocompetent individuals, ACV-resistant HSV strains (ACVR-HSV) have been isolated from immunocompromised patients. Thus, ACVR-HSV infection poses a critical emerging public health concern. Recently, we reported that ginkgolic acid (GA) inhibits HSV-1 by disrupting viral structure, blocking fusion, and inhibiting viral protein synthesis. Additionally, we showed GA affords a broad spectrum of fusion inhibition of all three classes of fusion proteins, including those of HIV, Ebola, influenza A and Epstein Barr viruses. Here we report GA’s antiviral activity against HSV-1 skin infection in BALB/cJ mice. GA-treated mice demonstrated a significantly reduced mortality rate and decreased infection scor...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research