title: Reduction of porcine parvovirus infectivity in the presence of protecting osmolytes.
abstract: Osmolytes are natural compounds found in the cells of many organisms that stabilize intracellular proteins against environmental stresses. Protecting osmolytes can promote protein folding, whereas denaturing osmolytes have the opposite effect. A variety of osmolytes were tested for their antiviral activity against porcine parvovirus (PPV). PPV is a non-enveloped, icosahedral, single-strand DNA virus. We have discovered two protecting osmolytes, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and glycine that reduce the infectivity of PPV by four logs (99.99%). We hypothesize that both osmolytes stabilize viral capsid proteins and prevent them from assembling into viable virus particles. The advantage of the antiviral compounds found is that they can be applied post-infection, which increases their potential to serve as a therapeutic drug.
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr. Houghton, MI 49931, USA. mftafur@mtu.edu
authors: Maria F
authors: MF
authors: Tafur
authors: K Saagar
authors: KS
authors: Vijayaragavan
authors: Caryn L
authors: CL
authors: Heldt
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008744:Methylamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D028323:Parvovirus, Porcine / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019065:Virus Assembly / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D008744:Methylamines; D014764:Viral Proteins; C005855:trimethyloxamine; D005998:Glycine