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Viruses
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Antiviral Natural Products 2023
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Recent Advances in Antiviral Natural Products 2023

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 October 2024 | Viewed by 5671

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Massimiliano Galdiero

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Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: viral entry; viral pathogenesis; peptides; anti-viral peptide; diagnostic virology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Carla Zannella

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Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: antiviral peptides; viral glycoproteins; dendrimer; natural extracts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Annalisa Chianese

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Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: antimicrobial peptide; virus-host interaction; zoonoses; animal viruses; respiratory viruses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rosa Giugliano

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Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: biosurfactants; antimicrobial resistance; natural products; antiviral assay; bacterial biofilm; antibacterial assay
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increase in infectious diseases associated with emerging and re-emerging viruses seriously threatens global health. Scientific explorations have led to the development and production of several antiviral drugs. However, many antiviral agents are therapeutically underutilized because they exhibit high toxicity, resistance, and ineffectiveness. A strategy to overcome these limits could be the application of natural extracts and products characterized by low toxicity and a reduced ability to develop resistance against pathogens. Enhancing the development and research of novel natural antiviral extracts and products is essential in order to limit possible viral epidemics.

This Special Issue aims to collect original contributions and reviews that delve into the most recent research results related to the development of natural extracts and products with antiviral effects in order to overcome the emergency of future viral outbreaks.  We invite authors to submit original manuscripts addressing all aspects of this topic.

Prof. Dr. Massimiliano Galdiero
Dr. Carla Zannella
Dr. Annalisa Chianese
Dr. Rosa Giugliano
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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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 2600 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

  • virus
  • antiviral
  • host-defense
  • natural product
  • drug delivery
  • infectious disease

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3402 KiB  
Article
Antiviral Properties of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extracts against Respiratory Viruses
by Rosa Giugliano, Valeria Ferraro, Annalisa Chianese, Roberta Della Marca, Carla Zannella, Francesca Galdiero, Teresa M. A. Fasciana, Anna Giammanco, Antonio Salerno, Joseph Cannillo, Natalie Paola Rotondo, Giovanni Lentini, Maria Maddalena Cavalluzzi, Anna De Filippis and Massimiliano Galdiero
Viruses 2024, 16(8), 1199; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16081199 - 25 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is a plant widely used for its beneficial properties both in medical and non-medical fields. Because they produce bioactive metabolites, plants are a major resource for drug discovery. In this study, two different cultivars of leaves of [...] Read more.
Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is a plant widely used for its beneficial properties both in medical and non-medical fields. Because they produce bioactive metabolites, plants are a major resource for drug discovery. In this study, two different cultivars of leaves of M. oleifera (Salento and Barletta) were obtained by maceration or microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). We demonstrated that extracts obtained by MAE exhibited a lower cytotoxic profile compared to those obtained by maceration at concentrations ranged from 25 to 400 µg/mL, on both Vero CCL-81 and Vero/SLAM cells. We examined their antiviral properties against two viruses, i.e., the human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) and measles virus (MeV), which are both responsible for respiratory infections. The extracts were able to inhibit the infection of both viruses and strongly prevented their attack and entry into the cells in a range of concentrations from 50 to 12 µg/mL. Particularly active was the variety of Salento that registered a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) at 21 µg/mL for HCoV-229E and at 6 µg/mL for MeV. We identified the presence of several compounds through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); in particular, chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, quercetin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (QGP), and glucomoringin (GM) were mainly observed. In the end, M. oleifera can be considered a promising candidate for combating viral infections with a very strong action in the early stages of viral life cycle, probably by destructuring the viral particles blocking the virus–cell fusion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antiviral Natural Products 2023)
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12 pages, 2389 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Antiviral Potential of Esters of Cinnamic Acids with Quercetin
by Valeria Manca, Annalisa Chianese, Vanessa Palmas, Federica Etzi, Carla Zannella, Davide Moi, Francesco Secci, Gabriele Serreli, Giorgia Sarais, Maria Vittoria Morone, Massimiliano Galdiero, Valentina Onnis, Aldo Manzin and Giuseppina Sanna
Viruses 2024, 16(5), 665; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16050665 - 24 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 762 million people to date and has caused approximately 7 million deaths all around the world, involving more than 187 countries. Although currently available vaccines show high efficacy in preventing severe respiratory [...] Read more.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 762 million people to date and has caused approximately 7 million deaths all around the world, involving more than 187 countries. Although currently available vaccines show high efficacy in preventing severe respiratory complications in infected patients, the high number of mutations in the S proteins of the current variants is responsible for the high level of immune evasion and transmissibility of the virus and the reduced effectiveness of acquired immunity. In this scenario, the development of safe and effective drugs of synthetic or natural origin to suppress viral replication and treat acute forms of COVID-19 remains a valid therapeutic challenge. Given the successful history of flavonoids-based drug discovery, we developed esters of substituted cinnamic acids with quercetin to evaluate their in vitro activity against a broad spectrum of Coronaviruses. Interestingly, two derivatives, the 3,4-methylenedioxy 6 and the ester of acid 7, have proved to be effective in reducing OC43-induced cytopathogenicity, showing interesting EC50s profiles. The ester of synaptic acid 7 in particular, which is not endowed with relevant cytotoxicity under any of the tested conditions, turned out to be active against OC43 and SARS-CoV-2, showing a promising EC50. Therefore, said compound was selected as the lead object of further analysis. When tested in a yield reduction, assay 7 produced a significant dose-dependent reduction in viral titer. However, the compound was not virucidal, as exposure to high concentrations of it did not affect viral infectivity, nor did it affect hCoV-OC43 penetration into pre-treated host cells. Additional studies on the action mechanism have suggested that our derivative may inhibit viral endocytosis by reducing viral attachment to host cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antiviral Natural Products 2023)
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Review

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22 pages, 1558 KiB  
Review
Update of Natural Products and Their Derivatives Targeting Epstein–Barr Infection
by Rosamaria Pennisi, Paola Trischitta, Marianna Costa, Assunta Venuti, Maria Pia Tamburello and Maria Teresa Sciortino
Viruses 2024, 16(1), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16010124 - 15 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3220
Abstract
Epstein–Barr (EBV) is a human γ-herpesvirus that undergoes both a productive (lytic) cycle and a non-productive (latent) phase. The virus establishes enduring latent infection in B lymphocytes and productive infection in the oral mucosal epithelium. Like other herpesviruses, EBV expresses its genes in [...] Read more.
Epstein–Barr (EBV) is a human γ-herpesvirus that undergoes both a productive (lytic) cycle and a non-productive (latent) phase. The virus establishes enduring latent infection in B lymphocytes and productive infection in the oral mucosal epithelium. Like other herpesviruses, EBV expresses its genes in a coordinated pattern during acute infection. Unlike others, it replicates its DNA during latency to maintain the viral genome in an expanding pool of B lymphocytes, which are stimulated to divide upon infection. The reactivation from the latent state is associated with a productive gene expression pattern mediated by virus-encoded transcriptional activators BZLF-1 and BRLF-1. EBV is a highly transforming virus that contributes to the development of human lymphomas. Though viral vectors and mRNA platforms have been used to develop an EBV prophylactic vaccine, currently, there are no vaccines or antiviral drugs for the prophylaxis or treatment of EBV infection and EBV-associated cancers. Natural products and bioactive compounds are widely studied for their antiviral potential and capability to modulate intracellular signaling pathways. This review was intended to collect information on plant-derived products showing their antiviral activity against EBV and evaluate their feasibility as an alternative or adjuvant therapy against EBV infections and correlated oncogenesis in humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antiviral Natural Products 2023)
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