Safety, Formulation and In Vitro Antiviral Activity of the Antimicrobial Peptide Subtilosin Against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Abstract

In the present study the antiviral properties of the bacteriocin subtilosin against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the safety and efficacy of a subtilosin-based nanofiber formulation were determined. High concentrations of subtilosin, the cyclical antimicrobial peptide produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, were virucidal against HSV-1. Interestingly, at non-virucidal concentrations, subtilosin inhibited wild type HSV-1 and aciclovir-resistant mutants in a dose-dependent manner. Although the exact antiviral mechanism is not fully understood, time of addition experiments and western blot analysis suggest that subtilosin does not affect viral multiplication steps prior to protein synthesis. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH)-based subtilosin nanofibers with a width of 278 nm were produced by the electrospinning process. The retained antimicrobial activity of the subtilosin-based fibers was determined via an agar well diffusion assay. The loading capacity of the fibers was 2.4 mg subtilosin/g fiber, and loading efficiency was 31.6%. Furthermore, the nanofibers with and without incorporated subtilosin were shown to be nontoxic to human epidermal tissues using an in vitro human tissue model. Taking together these results subtilosin-based nanofibers should be further studied as a novel alternative method for treatment and/or control of HSV-1 infection.

Endophytic bacteria from banana cultivars and their antifungal activity

“…Isolated strains from activated sludge from a polluted river have also been evaluated for their potential in water remediation to remove nitrite-N and ammonia-N (Xie et al, 2013). Moreover, virucidal effects against herpes simplex virus 1 were detected with high concentrations of subtilosin, the cyclical antimicrobial peptide produced by B. amyloliquefaciens (Torres et al, 2013).…”

Evaluation of a Nisin-Eluting Nanofiber Scaffold To Treat Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Skin Infections in Mice

“…Electrospun nanofibers are thus ideal as wound dressing materials. Various compounds have been electrospun into nanofibers in order to control their release (for reviews, see references 28 and 29); however, electrospinning of bacteriocins into nanofibers and the use of such electrospun nanofibers as a drug delivery system for bacteriocins in the food and medical industries have only recently been reported (30)(31)(32)(33).…”

Anti-influenza Activity of a Bacillus subtilis Probiotic Strain

“…These peptide antibiotics have a wide spectrum of activity, and some of them demonstrated antiviral activity. Thus, Torres et al (30) characterized the virucidal effect of the bacteriocin subtilosin, produced by B. amyloliquefaciens, against herpes simplex virus. Surfactin and biosurfactants produced by B. subtilis inhibit a broad spectrum of viruses, including Semliki Forest virus, herpes simplex virus, suid herpesvirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, simian immunodeficiency virus, feline calicivirus, and murine encephalomyocarditis virus (31).…”