title: Antiviral properties of fucoidan fractions from Leathesia difformis.
abstract: Three fractions of fucoidans isolated from the brown seaweed Leathesia difformis (Ee, Ec and Ea) were found to be selective antiviral agents against herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 and human cytomegalovirus. Fraction Ea was the most active, with IC50 values in the range 0.5-1.9 microg/ml without affecting cell viability at concentrations up to 400 microg/ml. The antiherpetic activity of Ea was assessed by three different methods, plaque reduction, inhibition of virus yield and prevention of HSV-2 induced shut-off of cell protein synthesis, demonstrating that the inhibitory effect was independent of the antiviral assay and the multiplicity of infection. The mode of action of Ea could be ascribed to an inhibitory action on virus adsorption. The fucoidans did not inhibit the blood coagulation process even at concentrations exceeding more than 100 times the IC50 value.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Orgánica-CIHIDECAR, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Argentina.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reynaldi
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Stortz
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Cerezo
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Damont
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops / Q000821:virology; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D000459:Phaeophyceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D012624:Seaweed / Q000737:chemistry; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D011134:Polysaccharides; C007789:fucoidan