title: Antiviral effect of brassinosteroids against herpes virus and arenaviruses.
abstract: A natural brassinosteroid and a series of synthetic derivatives were found to be good inhibitors of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and arenavirus replication in cell culture. The synthetic compounds tested were analogues of the 24(S) ethylbrassinone. Compounds (22 R,23 R,24S)-2alpha, 3alpha,5alpha,22,23-pentahydroxy-stigmastan-6-one and (22R,23R,24S)-3beta-bromo-5alpha,22,23-trihydroxy stigmastan-6-one were cytotoxic at concentrations of 20-40 microM. (22S,23S,24S)-2alpha,3alpha,22,23-tetrahydroxy-5alpha, stigmastan-6-one, (22R,23R,24S)-3beta-acetoxy-22,23-dihydroxy-5alpha-choles tan-6-one, (22S,23S,24S)-3beta-bromo-22,23-dihydroxy-5alpha-cholestan-6 -one and (22S,23S,24S)-3beta-bromo-5alpha,22,23-trihydroxy-stigmastan -6-one were the most active of the series against HSV-1, with selectivity index (SI) values (CC50/EC50) ranging from 10.6 to 16.5. The majority of the compounds were potent inhibitors of arenaviruses, (22S,23S,24S)-3beta-bromo-5alpha,22,23-trihydroxy-stigmastan -6-one being the most active, with SI values of 307.8 and 692.5 for Tacaribe and Junin viruses, respectively. The antiviral activity of brassinosteroid derivatives was not because of direct inactivation; time-of-addition experiments suggested that a late step in HSV-1 multiplication was affected, whereas arenaviruses remained susceptible to the compounds throughout the replicative cycle.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. wachsman@qb.fcen.uba.ar
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wachsman
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Galagovsky
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Coto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018050:Arenavirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D013256:Steroids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014709:Vero Cells; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D013256:Steroids