title: Aprotinin, a protease inhibitor, suppresses proteolytic activation of pandemic H1N1v influenza virus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The recent emergence of pandemic influenza virus H1N1v stresses the need for the development of new anti-influenza drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Host proteases responsible for viral haemagglutinin (HA) cleavage are attractive targets for such drugs. Aprotinin, a natural 58-amino-acid polypeptide from bovine lungs, was chosen for this purpose because it is a drug already approved for human use as an antiprotease compound to treat pancreatitis and bleeding, and because it inhibits a wide spectrum of serine proteases, some of which are involved in influenza virus activation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  First, we show that HA of pandemic H1N1v was intensively cleaved and activated in different host systems (human tracheo-bronchial epithelium, human intestinal Caco-2 cells and chicken embryonated eggs). Second, aprotinin inhibited HA cleavage and replication of pandemic influenza virus H1N1v in all host systems, including human tracheo-bronchial epithelium. Third, aprotinin did not induce any apparent toxic side effects in these hosts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aprotinin can be considered a promising drug against the novel H1N1v pandemic influenza virus.
authors: DI Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Moscow, Russia. zhirnov@inbox.ru
authors: Oleg P
authors: OP
authors: Zhirnov
authors: Tatyana Y
authors: TY
authors: Matrosovich
authors: Mikhail N
authors: MN
authors: Matrosovich
authors: Hans-Dieter
authors: HD
authors: Klenk