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B Alarcón

Publications and source records attributed to B Alarcón.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Mode of action of a new type of UDP-glucose analog against herpesvirus replication.

The mode of action of a new type of UDP-glucose analog against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) replication was examined. The analog showed good selectivity and potent activity. At 10 micrograms/ml, P-536 inhibited the formation of infectious HSV-1 by more than 90%, whereas at 100 micrograms/ml it had no cytotoxic effects, as evidenced by phase-contrast microscopy. P-536 showed a wide spectrum of action and was active against HSV-1, adenovirus type 5, vaccinia virus, poliovirus type 1, encephalomyocarditis virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, influenza virus, and measles virus, irrespective of whether these viruses have lipidic envelopes or not. P-536 clearly inhibited protein glycosylation if added at the time when late viral proteins were being synthesized. Moreover, it also interfered with the synthesis of nucleic acids and the phosphorylation of nucleosides. If P-536 was present from the beginning of infection, HSV-1 replication was blocked at an early step and the infected cells continued to synthesize cellular proteins for long periods.

Animals↗

Activity of P536, a UDP-glucose analog, against Trypanosoma cruzi.

P536, a UDP-glucose analog which was previously described as an antiviral agent (M. J. Camaraza, P. Fernández Resa, M. T. García López, F. G. de las Heras, P. P. Mendez-Castrillón, B. Alarcón, and L. Carrasco, J. Med. Chem. 28:40-46, 1985), has a potent and selective activity against the intracellular and extracellular stages of Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro. It had a 50% inhibitory concentration of less than 5 micrograms/ml for T. cruzi extracellular cultured forms (epimastigote) and of 25 micrograms/ml for T. cruzi intracellular forms (amastigote) growing inside J774G8 macrophagelike cells. In contrast, the 50% inhibitory concentration was 100 micrograms/ml or greater for cultured mammalian cells and 180 micrograms/ml for the proliferation of mouse spleen lymphocytes. Furthermore, the addition of P536 (50 micrograms/ml) to T. cruzi-infected J774G8 cells cured the infected macrophages, making them able to grow and function normally. Studies on the mechanism of action of this drug indicated that it inhibited incorporation of [35S]methionine, [3H]thymidine, [3H]mannose, [14C]-N-acetylglucosamine, and [3H]uridine into macromolecules by T. cruzi epimastigotes, the last being the most sensitive.

Animals↗

Polysaccharides as antiviral agents: antiviral activity of carrageenan.

A number of polysaccharides showed good antiviral activity against several animal viruses. At 5 micrograms/ml, carrageenan prevented the cell monolayer from destruction by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) growth. At 10 micrograms/ml, carrageenan reduced the formation of new infectious HSV-1 by almost five logs. No cytotoxic effects were detected with concentrations of carrageenan up to 200 micrograms/ml. When 10 micrograms of carrageenan per ml was added at the beginning of HSV-1 infection of HeLa cells, there was potent inhibition of viral protein synthesis, and the cells continued synthesizing cellular proteins. This did not occur if carrageenan was added 1 h after HSV-1 infection. The use of [35S]methionine-labeled virions to analyze the entry of HSV-1 or Semliki Forest virions into cells indicated that carrageenan had no effect on virus attachment or virus entry. Moreover, carrageenan did not block the early permeabilization of cells to the toxic protein alpha-sarcin. These results suggest that this sulfated polysaccharide inhibits a step in virus replication subsequent to viral internalization but prior to the onset of late viral protein synthesis.

Animals↗

Ribavirin cures cells of a persistent infection with foot-and-mouth disease virus in vitro.

Ribavirin (1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide) eliminates foot-and-mouth disease virus from persistently infected cell cultures. The latter are 10-fold more sensitive to ribavirin than lytically infected cells. In treated cells no viral RNA or proteins could be detected by dot-blot hybridization to cDNA probes, virus and RNA infectivity assays, or immunofluorescence. A potential application of the drug for the treatment of animals carrying the virus is suggested.

Animals↗

New agents active against African swine fever virus.

Actinobolin, atropine, carrageenan, megalomycin C, suramin, and tetracenomycin C were tested for their activity against African swine fever virus replication. Both viral inhibitory potency and cytotoxicity were investigated. Megalomycin C, suramin, atropine, and carrageenan exhibited significant activity. Megalomycin C was the most active of the four agents with respect to the concentration of compound that blocked the formation of infectious virus by 50%. Suramin was the next most active agent in this respect, but because of its lower cytotoxicity, it had the most favorable therapeutic index.

African Swine Fever Virus↗

Uridine 5'-diphosphate glucose analogues. Inhibitors of protein glycosylation that show antiviral activity.

A series of analogues of uridine 5'-diphosphate glucose and uridine 5'-diphosphate glucosamine have been synthesized by reaction of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-, 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-, 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-, and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-palmitoyl-alpha-D-glucopyranose and 2-acetamido-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranose with chlorosulfonyl isocyanate and 2',3'-O-isopropylideneuridine. Isopropylidene and acetyl groups of the resulting 5'-O-[[[[(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]carbonyl]amino]sulfonyl] -2',3'-O-isopropylideneuridine derivatives were removed by reaction with a TFA/water (5:1) mixture and methanolic ammonia, respectively. The 5'-O-[[[[(2",3",4",6"-tetra-O-benzyl-and 2",3",4",6"-tetra-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]carbonyl] amino]sulfonyl]-2',3'-O-isopropylideneuridine (13 and 19) and the corresponding deisopropylidenated derivatives showed antiviral activity as determined by the inhibition of the cytopathic effect induced by HSV-1 replication and by the plaque assay method. Compound 13 inhibited glycosylation of proteins in HSV-1 infected HeLa cells.

Antiviral Agents↗

Synthesis and antiviral evaluation of nucleosides of 5-methylimidazole-4-carboxamide.

Due to the antiviral activity of certain 5-substituted imidazole nucleosides related to ribavirin, 5-methylimidazole-4-carboxamide nucleosides having beta-D-ribofuranosyl, 2-deoxy-beta- and -alpha-D-ribofuranosyl, and (2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl moieties have been prepared and tested as antiviral agents. 1-beta-D-Ribofuranosyl-5-methylimidazole-4-carboxamide was obtained by deacetylation of the corresponding tri-O-acetyl nucleoside 11 or by deacetylation and ammonolysis of the blocked ethyl 5-methylimidazole-4-carboxylate nucleoside 10, which was prepared from the stannic chloride catalyzed condensation of the trimethylsilyl derivative of ethyl 4(5)-methylimidazole-5(4)-carboxylate. Glycosylation of 4(5)-methylimidazole-5(4)-carboxamide with 3,5-di-O-p-toluoyl-2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl chloride via mercuric cyanide method provided an anomeric mixture of the blocked 5-methylimidazole-4-carboxamide deoxynucleoside 14 along with an anomeric mixture of the 4-methyl 5-carboxamide isomer 15. Separation of compound 14 into the corresponding beta and alpha anomers was achieved by conversion to the 3',5'-di-O-acetyl derivatives 17 and 18, which after chromatographic separation were deacetylated to give 1-(2-deoxy-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-5-methylimidazole-4-carboxa mid e and its alpha anomer 20. 1-[(2-Hydroxyethoxy)methyl]-5-methylimidazole-4-carboxamide was prepared by alkylation of the imidazole 13 with (2-acetoxyethoxy)methyl bromide followed by treatment with methanolic ammonia. All these imidazole nucleosides were tested in HeLa cell cultures against type 1 herpes simplex and vesicular stomatitis viruses. The ribofuranosyl derivative 12 showed a significant activity against type 1 herpes simplex virus.

Antiviral Agents↗

Specific effect of anti-transferrin antibodies on natural killer cells directed against tumor cells. Evidence for the transferrin receptor being one of the target structures recognized by NK cells.

Treatment of PBL or Percoll-isolated LGL with anti-transferrin antibodies plus complement reduced their natural killing activity against K-562 cells between 30 and 70%. The same antibodies inhibited natural cytotoxicity when added directly to the assay. Similar depletion or inhibition of NK cytotoxicity was observed when using HeLa cells as targets. The decrease or inhibition by transferrin antibodies was less marked when IFN-treated PBL or LGL as effector cells were used. The inhibition of anti-transferrin antibodies seems to be located at the level of the effector cell population. When PBL but not target K-562 cells were pretreated with anti-transferrin antibodies and were washed before use in the assay, cytotoxicity was decreased by 50%. In addition, about 80% of the LGL positively selected on anti-transferrin plates stained with Leu-11. Furthermore, no reduction by anti-transferrin antibodies plus complement treatment of PBL or LGL, or inhibition by antibodies alone, was observed when the cells were tested against HSV-1-infected cells. Membrane extracts from LGL inhibited NK cytotoxicity against K-562 or HeLa cells. Moreover, the inhibitory component of this extract was removed by anti-transferrin IgG but not by control IgG. These results are in agreement with the recent hypothesis that NK cells recognize the transferrin receptor in tumor target cells, because both the transferrin receptor and anti-transferrin antibodies may share a similar structure that interacts with the NK cells.

Adult↗

Screening for new compounds with antiherpes activity.

A number of compounds have been tested for antiherpes activity. Actinobolin, amicetin, carrageenan, laspartomycin, megalomycin C, pleuromutilin, suramin and tetracenomycin C showed significant protection of HeLa cell monolayers infected with herpes simplex virus type 1. The action of these new antiherpes compounds was compared with those antiherpes agents that have been described previously. Actinobolin, amicetin and tetracenomycin C were also active against viruses other than herpes simplex.

Antiviral Agents↗

Antiherpesvirus action of atropine.

The antimuscarinic compound atropine shows an antiherpesvirus effect as measured by the protection of the cell monolayer and the reduction of the formation of new infectious virus. Atropine at a concentration of 200 micrograms/ml blocks the production of new infectious herpes simplex virus-type 1 virions. At that concentration, it has almost no effect on cellular or viral protein synthesis even when atropine is present from the beginning of the infection. The glycosylation of viral proteins is almost totally blocked when atropine is added. Although the viral proteins are underglycosylated, the formation of new herpes simplex virus type 1 virions takes place. The virions formed in the presence of atropine are noninfectious, and their protein composition, as assessed by labeling with [35S]methionine, is similar to that of the control, except that they are not glycosylated.

Antiviral Agents↗