The M2 protein from influenza A plays important roles in its viral cycle. It contains a single transmembrane helix, which oligomerizes into a homotetrameric proton channel that conducts in the low-pH environment of the host-cell endosome and Golgi apparatus, leading to virion uncoating at an early stage of infection. We studied conformational rearrangements that occur in the M2 core transmembra...

Amantadine acetylation was demonstrated to occur both in vivo and in vitro using transgenic male mice overexpressing spermidine/spermine N-acetyltransferase (SSAT). We previously reported that neither NAT1 nor NAT2 was responsible for catalyzing acetylation of the primary amine group of amantadine. We hypothesized that the inducible polyamine-catabolizing enzyme, SSAT, was an alternate pathway ...

New selective and sensitive spectrophotometric and spectrofluorometric methods have been developed and validated for the determination of amantadine hydrochloride (AMD) in capsules and plasma. The methods were based on the condensation of AMD with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonate (NQS) in an alkaline medium to form an orange-colored product. The spectrophotometric method involved the measurement...

Background: Hepatitis-C infection is a major problem in chronically transfused patients. We compared Interferon-α (INF-α) monotherapy with combination of INF-α and amantadine in the treatment of β-thalassemia major patients who were chronically infected with HCV.Materials and Methods: Forty six thalassemia major patients who were chronically infected with HCV were randomly divided into two grou...

Amantadine has been used extensively in the treatment of influenza A virus respiratory illness, particularly in nursing homes. The drug is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, is not metabolized, and is excreted unchanged through the kidneys. Warning has been made repeatedly that patients with renal disease should not be given the drug or that the quantity administered should be re...

Annual consumption of amantadine increased abruptly after its approval for the treatment of influenza A virus infections in Japan in 1998, and the emergence of amantadine-resistant viruses is now a matter of concern. To detect resistant influenza A virus strains, we have developed a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis for nasopharyngeal swabs. Three different primer...

Treatment of the patients suffering from therapy-resistant unipolar depression with joint administration of imipramine (twice daily, 100–150 mg/day) and amantadine (twice daily, 150 mg/day) for four to six weeks resulted in the significant increase in the binding of [ H]7-OH-DPAT to dopamine D receptors in the peripheral blood lymphocytes. This effect correlated well with the clinical improveme...