Abstract
BackgroundCommercially available antiviral drugs, when used in the treatment of viral infections, do not always result in success. This is an urgent problem currently that needs to be addressed because several viruses including influenza and paramyxoviruses are acquiring multi-drug resistance. A potential solution for this emerging issue is to create new antiviral drugs from available compounds of natural products. It is known that the majority of drugs have been developed using compounds derived from actinomycetes, which are naturally occurring gram-positive bacteria. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antiviral properties of extremophilic actinomycetes extracts from strains that were isolated from extreme environments in Kazakhstan.MethodsFive strains of extremophilic actinomycetes isolated from the unique ecosystems of Kazakhstan were extracted and tested for antiviral activity against influenza viruses (strains H7N1, H5N3, H1N1 and H3N2) and paramyxoviruses (Sendai Virus and Newcastle Disease Virus). The antiviral activity of these selected extracts was tested by checking their effect on hemagglutination and neuraminidase activities of the studied viruses. Additionally, actinomycetes extracts were compared with commercially available antiviral drugs and some plant preparations that have been shown to exhibit antiviral properties.ResultsThe main findings show that extracts from strains K-192, K-340, K-362, K-522 and K525 showed antiviral activities when tested using influenza viruses, Sendai Virus, and Newcastle Disease Virus. These activities were comparable to those shown by Rimantadine and Tamiflu drugs, and “Virospan” and “Flavovir” plant preparations.ConclusionsWe identified several extracts with antiviral activities against several strains of influenza viruses and paramyxoviruses. Our research findings can be applied towards characterization and development of new antiviral drugs from the active actinomycetes extracts.
Highlights
Available antiviral drugs, when used in the treatment of viral infections, do not always result in success
We investigated the antiviral properties of extremophilic actinomycetes extracts from strains that were isolated from extreme environments in Kazakhstan against the influenza viruses and paramyxoviruses (Sendai Virus, Newcastle Disease Virus)
Comparison of actinomycetes preparations with commercial antiviral drugs and plant preparations We found that the virus-inhibition activity of extremophilic actinomycetes extracts K-192-2S, K-340-2S, K362-2S, K-362-2 N, and K-362-1S is comparable with antiviral activity of commercial anti-flu drugs Tamiflu and Rimantadine and plant antiviral preparations Virospan and Flavovir (Figs. 5 and 6)
Summary
Available antiviral drugs, when used in the treatment of viral infections, do not always result in success. This is an urgent problem currently that needs to be addressed because several viruses including influenza and paramyxoviruses are acquiring multi-drug resistance. A potential solution for this emerging issue is to create new antiviral drugs from available compounds of natural products. The development of new antibiotics is compromised due to several complications such as challenges in finding natural compounds that possess characteristics suitable for a good pharmacological response when applied in the treatment of infections. In our studies we investigated the presence of antiviral properties of new preparations that were isolated from extremophilic microorganisms
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