| Alternative approaches to antiviral treatments: focusing on glycosylation as a target for antiviral therapy. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20649513 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Development of effective and safe medication for the treatment of viral infections remains a major challenge for the pharmaceutical industry in the 21st Century. There are numerous problems with the existing antiviral treatments both in terms of their safety and, in some cases, their cost, and they cannot be used generally but only in special circumstances. However, the threat of viral diseases ranging from AIDS and hepatitis C to influenza is increasing each year and there is considerable interest in safer and more generally applicable alternative treatments. It has been recognized for some time that some viruses have glycosylation features that are essential to their infectivity, but a means of providing a therapeutic route that is based on this has not been easy to exploit. In recent years, a number of possible approaches have been investigated and some of these are now considered to be realistic forms of therapy. Generally, approaches based on inhibition of the host machinery to glycosylate viral proteins or the ability of compounds to mimic the surface glycosylation of the virus seem to offer the best potential approaches. In this mini-review article, we look at recent advances in both of these areas and their potential to provide a new arsenal of antiviral therapeutics for AIDS, hepatitis C and influenza. Some of these are now entering clinical trials and others are at an advanced stage of preclinical development, but all of them represent good candidates for a therapy that could be more resilient to the problems of viral mutation and diversity. |
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Authors:
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Tony Merry; Sviatlana Astrautsova |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Review Date: 2010-07-07 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Biotechnology and applied biochemistry Volume: 56 ISSN: 1470-8744 ISO Abbreviation: Biotechnol. Appl. Biochem. Publication Date: 2010 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-07-23 Completed Date: 2010-11-02 Revised Date: 2012-01-25 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8609465 Medline TA: Biotechnol Appl Biochem Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 103-9 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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The Euroglycosciences Forum and University of Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M17DN, UK. anthony.merry@manchester.ac.uk |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
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drug therapy Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*, therapeutic use* Glycosylation Hepatitis C / drug therapy Humans Influenza, Human / drug therapy Protein Processing, Post-Translational |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Antiviral Agents |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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