Abstract
The structural diversity and unique physicochemical properties of sulphated polysaccharides of red algae carrageenans (CRGs), to a great extent, determine the wide range of their antiviral properties. This work aimed to compare the antiviral activities of different structural types of CRGs: against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and enterovirus (ECHO-1). We found that CRGs significantly increased the resistance of Vero cells to virus infection (preventive effect), directly affected virus particles (virucidal effect), inhibited the attachment and penetration of virus to cells, and were more effective against HSV-1. CRG1 showed the highest virucidal effect on HSV-1 particles with a selective index (SI) of 100. CRG2 exhibited the highest antiviral activity by inhibiting HSV-1 and ECHO-1 plaque formation, with a SI of 110 and 59, respectively, when it was added before virus infection. CRG2 also significantly reduced the attachment of HSV-1 and ECHO-1 to cells compared to other CRGs. It was shown by molecular docking that tetrasaccharides—CRGs are able to bind with the HSV-1 surface glycoprotein, gD, to prevent virus–cell interactions. The revealed differences in the effect of CRGs on different stages of the lifecycle of the viruses are apparently related to the structural features of the investigated compounds.
Highlights
Marine algae are a source of natural products with many pharmacological applications, including substances inhibiting viral infection and/or replication
The CRGs were extracted from red seaweed C. armatus, T. crinitus, and A. flabelliformis purified from low molecular weight impurities by column filtration and precipitated with alcohol
We investigated the antiviral activity of the sulfated polysaccharides
Summary
Marine algae are a source of natural products with many pharmacological applications, including substances inhibiting viral infection and/or replication. It is believed that the formation of specific supramolecular complexes of sulphated polysaccharide with the virus or the target cell is the basis of their antiviral activity. These complexes rely on non-covalent interactions (mainly electrostatic, and hydrophobic and polar) and are commonly attributed to the structural characteristics and composition of the sulphated polysaccharide. Their degree of sulfation, molecular weight, and structural features are key factors in their antiviral activity, as highlighted by the chemical investigation of polysaccharides [8,9]. Carrageenans (CRGs) occupy a special place due to their chemical structure and to their special physicochemical properties, which, in general, determine a wide range of their antiviral properties [5,6]
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