Novel activities of safe-in-human broad-spectrum antiviral agents
According to the WHO, there is an urgent need for better control of viral diseases. Re-positioning existing safe-in-human antiviral agents from one viral disease to another could play a pivotal role in this process. Here, we reviewed all approved, investigational and experimental antiviral agents, which are safe in man, and identified 59 compounds that target at least three viral diseases. We tested 55 of these compounds against eight different RNA and DNA viruses. We found novel activities for dalbavancin against echovirus 1, ezetimibe against human immunodeficiency virus 1 and Zika virus, as well as azacitidine, cyclosporine, minocycline, oritavancin and ritonavir against Rift valley feve…
Regulation of kynurenine biosynthesis during influenza virus infection.
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) remain serious threats to public health because of the shortage of effective means of control. Developing more effective virus control modalities requires better understanding of virus–host interactions. It has previously been shown that IAV induces the production of kynurenine, which suppresses T-cell responses, enhances pain hypersensitivity and disturbs behaviour in infected animals. However, the regulation of kynurenine biosynthesis during IAV infection remains elusive. Here we showed that IAV infection induced expression of interferons (IFNs), which upregulated production of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1), which catalysed the kynurenine biosynthesis. Furt…