Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serio us public health problem. Globally, over 170 million persons are infected and suffer from HCV infection, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV infection is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Recently, there have been newer, direct-acting antiviral agents approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment...

Resveratrol is a potent polyphenolic compound that is being extensively studied in the amelioration of viral infections both in vitro and in vivo. Its antioxidant effect is mainly elicited through inhibition of important gene pathways like the NF-κβ pathway, while its antiviral effects are associated with inhibitions of viral replication, protein synthesis, gene expression, and nucleic acid syn...

BACKGROUND Ginsenosides are the major components of Panax ginseng Meyer, an herbal medicine used for the treatment of various diseases. Different ginsenosides contribute to the biological properties of ginseng, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we investigated the antiviral effects of 15 ginsenosides and compound K on gammaherpesvirus. METHODS ...

results genotype b (73.6%) and genotype c (26.4%) were detected in these patients. after treatment for 12 months, the rate of hbv dna seroclearance, alt normalization, and hbeag seroconversion were significantly higher in adv group than in placebo group (p < 0.05). however, there were no significant differences in these three rates between patients infected with genotype b and c (p > 0.05). obj...

Virus infections pose significant global health challenges, especially in view of the fact that the emergence of resistant viral strains and the adverse side effects associated with prolonged use continue to slow down the application of effective antiviral therapies. This makes imperative the need for the development of safe and potent alternatives to conventional antiviral drugs. In the presen...

BACKGROUND Treatment of HBV chronic carriers using interferon (IFN)-α or nucleoside/nucleotide analogues fails to suppress viral infection. Type-II IFN-γ has been shown to inhibit HBV replication. The goal of the present work was to evaluate the antiviral efficacy against HBV of a thermostable IFN-γ variant isolated using Massive Mutagenesis and thermoresistant selection (THR) technologies. M...

Most antiviral treatment options target the invading pathogen and unavoidably encounter loss of efficacy as the pathogen mutates to overcome replication restrictions. A good strategy for circumventing drug resistance, or for pathogens without treatment options, is to target host cell proteins that are utilized by viruses during infection. The small molecule WP1130 is a selective deubiquitinase ...

The virucidal and antiviral photoactivities of three compounds, hypericin, tetrabromohypericin and gymnochrome B, were evaluated against dengue viruses. All the three products were active, and both the virucidal and antiviral activities were enhanced by light. Gymnochrome B was more potent than hypericin and tetrabromohypericin. The presence of the side chains on the hypericin core of gymnochro...

Since years ago, phytopharmaceutical drugs have been used by various societies, as a traditional treatment. Echinacea purpurea (Asteraceae) is the best known of the dozen or so species of the genus Echinacea, a group of perennial prairie wildflowers native to the central grasslands of North American. E. purpurea is cultivated widely throughout the United states, Canada and Europe, although it h...

Nucleic acid polymers (NAPs) block the release of subviral particles from hepatocytes, a mechanism consistent with their antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients. Analysis of immunostimulatory properties of NAPs were conducted with several NAP species: REP 2006, the prototypic degenerate NAP [dN]40, containing TLR9-stimulatory CpG; REP 2055 a clinically active NAP with a s...