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Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 Multiplication by Meliacine, a Peptide of Plant Origin

1995; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 6; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/095632029500600406

2040-2066

Soledad Maria Villamil, Laura E. Alché, Celia E. Coto,

Natural product bioactivities and synthesis

Meliacine, a peptide isolated from leaves of Melia azedarach L., exhibited potent activity against herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1). The in vitro selective indices for pre- and post-treatment were 937.5 and 2500, respectively. Analysis of early events following infection showed that meliacine did not affect viral adsorption and penetration. Meliacine strongly inhibited specific infected-cell polypeptides (ICPs) produced late in infection. The antiviral activity, which is attributed mainly to this selective effect, was also demonstrated in an immunofluorescence assay.