Special Issue "Broad Spectrum Antivirals and Antiviral Combinations"

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Denis E. Kainov
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7028 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: antiviral agents; broad-spectrum antivirals; antiviral response; innate immunity; adaptive immunity
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Valentyn Oksenych
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
KG Jebsen Centre for B Cell Malignancies, Department of Immunology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
Interests: DNA repair; DNA damage response; genetics; primary immunodeficiency; B lymphocyte development; mouse models
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We have recently released a database that summarizes the antiviral activities of 116 investigational and approved broad spectrum antiviral drugs (BSAs) that are safe for humans (https://drugvirus.info/). We have also released a second database summarizing the activity of 985 antivirus combinations along with their development status (https://antiviralcombi.info/). Many of the drugs and drug combinations have shown new activities against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials. We would be happy to expand these databases to include (i) experimental antiviral drugs, (ii) new investigational and approved BSAs, and (iii) new antiviral combinations, including information on their development status and targets. Therefore, we are looking for relevant submissions. Your contribution will provide a deeper understanding of the general principles of virus–host interaction and inhibition thereof.

Prof. Dr. Denis E. Kainov
Dr. Valentyn Oksenych
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • broad-spectrum antivirals
  • antiviral combinations
  • virus–host interaction
  • antiviral drug development

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Active Components of Commonly Prescribed Medicines Affect Influenza A Virus–Host Cell Interaction: A Pilot Study
Viruses 2021, 13(8), 1537; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13081537 - 03 Aug 2021
Viewed by 611
Abstract
Background: Every year, millions of people are hospitalized and thousands die from influenza A virus (FLUAV) infection. Most cases of hospitalizations and death occur among the elderly. Many of these elderly patients are reliant on medical treatment of underlying chronic diseases, such as [...] Read more.
Background: Every year, millions of people are hospitalized and thousands die from influenza A virus (FLUAV) infection. Most cases of hospitalizations and death occur among the elderly. Many of these elderly patients are reliant on medical treatment of underlying chronic diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension. We hypothesized that the commonly prescribed medicines for treatment of underlying chronic diseases can affect host responses to FLUAV infection and thus contribute to the morbidity and mortality associated with influenza. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether commonly prescribed medicines could affect host responses to virus infection in vitro. Methods: We first identified 45 active compounds from a list of commonly prescribed medicines. Then, we constructed a drug–target interaction network and identified the potential implication of these interactions for FLUAV–host cell interplay. Finally, we tested the effect of 45 drugs on the viability, transcription, and metabolism of mock- and FLUAV-infected human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Results: In silico drug–target interaction analysis revealed that drugs such as atorvastatin, candesartan, and hydroxocobalamin could target and modulate FLUAV–host cell interaction. In vitro experiments showed that at non-cytotoxic concentrations, these compounds affected the transcription and metabolism of FLUAV- and mock-infected cells. Conclusion: Many commonly prescribed drugs were found to modulate FLUAV–host cell interactions in silico and in vitro and could therefore affect their interplay in vivo, thus contributing to the morbidity and mortality of patients with influenza virus infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad Spectrum Antivirals and Antiviral Combinations)
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