Washington, Dec 19 (PTI) Scientists have created designergold anti-viral nanoparticles that can bind to a range ofviruses - such as dengue and herpes - and prevent them frominfecting cells.
A few broad-spectrum drugs that prevent viral entry intohealthy cells exist, but they usually need to be takencontinuously to prevent infection, and resistance throughviral mutation is a serious risk.
Researchers from University of Illinois at Chicago in theUS designed new anti-viral nanoparticles that bind to a rangeof viruses, including herpes simplex virus, humanpapillomavirus, respiratory syncytial virus and Dengue andLentiviruses.
Once injected in the body, these nanoparticles imitatehuman cells and "trick" the viruses.
When the viruses bind to them - in order to infect them -the nanoparticles use pressure produced locally by this link-up to "break" the viruses, rendering them innocuous.
Unlike other broad-spectrum antivirals, which simplyprevent viruses from infecting cells, the new nanoparticlesdestroy viruses.
The new nanoparticles mimic a cell surface protein calledheparin sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG). A significant portion ofviruses, including HIV, enter and infect healthy cells byfirst binding to HSPGs on the cell surface.
Existing drugs that mimic HSPG bind to the virus andprevent it from binding to cells, but the strength of the bondis relatively weak.
These drugs also can not destroy viruses, and the virusescan become reactivated when the drug concentration isdecreased.
Researchers sought to design a new anti-viralnanoparticle based on HSPG, but one that would bind moretightly to viral particles and destroy them at the same time.
"We knew the general composition of the HSPG-bindingviral domains the nanoparticles should bind to, and thestructures of the nanoparticles, but we did not understand whydifferent nanoparticles behave so differently in terms of bothbinding strength and preventing viral entry into cells," saidPetr Kral, from UIC.
Through elaborate simulations, researchers helped solvethese issues and guided the experimentalists in tweaking thenanoparticle design so that they worked better.
The researchers used advanced computational modelingtechniques to generate precise structures of various targetviruses and nanoparticles down to the location of each atom.
The team's anti-viral nanoparticle could bindirreversibly to a range of viruses, and caused lethaldeformations to the viruses, but had no effect on healthytissues or cells.
In vitro experiments with the nanoparticles showed thatthey bound irreversibly to the herpes simplex virus, humanpapillomavirus, syncytial virus, dengue virus and Lentivirus.
"We were able to provide the data needed to the designteam so that they could develop a prototype of what we hopewill be a very effective and safe broad-spectrum anti-viralthat can be used to save lives," said Kral. PTI MHN SARMHN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.