New strategies against drug resistance to herpes simplex virus

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV), a member of the Herpesviridae family, is a significant human pathogen that results in mucocutaneous lesions in the oral cavity or genital infections. Acyclovir (ACV) and related nucleoside analogues can successfully treat HSV infections, but the emergence of drug resistance to ACV has created a barrier for the treatment of HSV infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. There is an urgent need to explore new and effective tactics to circumvent drug resistance to HSV. This review summarises the current strategies in the development of new targets (the DNA helicase/primase (H/P) complex), new types of molecules (nature products) and new antiviral mechanisms (lethal mutagenesis of Janus-type nucleosides) to fight the drug resistance of HSV.

Phytobiological Warfare: An Evolutionary Approach to Botanical Medicine

“…This model can be extrapolated to other species of plants, where we can use evolutionary data and traditional data to form a more specific use of each individual plant by exploiting their evolutionary adaptations. 6,7 This paper does not seek to suggest that botanical medicine is the panacea for future disease processes. It seeks to elucidate that as a solution, botanical medicine should continue to be studied.…”

Evaluation of the antiviral potential of the soluble forms of glycoprotein D receptors on ocular herpes caused by HSV‐1 and HSV‐2 infections in a transgenic mouse model

“…Acyclovir and related nucleoside analogs are available for the treatment of herpesvirus infections, but continuous use of antiviral drug increases the possibility of the emergence of drug‐resistant mutants . It has been considered that the emergence of resistance to most drugs is responsible for the antiviral mechanism of current drugs, which act only at the site of viral replication via dysfunction of viral DNA polymerase . Despite aggressive, focused research on the development of vaccines, there is currently no commercially available vaccine that is protective against HSV infection .…”

2′‐Fluoro‐6′‐methylene carbocyclic adenosine and its phosphoramidate prodrug: A novel anti‐HBV agent, active against drug‐resistant HBV mutants

“…The discovery and clinical application of sofosbuvir for the treatment of HCV demonstrated the importance of nucleosides, and thus more than million patients have been cured of the chronic HCV infection. A number of diversified nucleos(t)ides have been developed and are being used for the treatment of a wide range of viral diseases, such as herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella‐zoster virus (VZV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), zika virus, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), and the influenza virus . Also, in cancer therapy, several nucleos(t)ide analogs have been introduced with their significant clinical applications …”