Anti-varicella-zoster virus activity of cephalotaxine esters in vitro

• Published in: The journal of microbiology Vol. 57; no. 1; pp. 74 - 79
• Main Authors: Kim, Jung-Eun, Song, Yoon-Jae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul The Microbiological Society of Korea 01.01.2019; Springer Nature B.V; 한국미생물학회
• Subjects: Anticancer properties; Antitumor activity; Antitumour agents; Antiviral activity; Antiviral agents; Antiviral Agents - chemistry; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cephalotaxus - chemistry; Chicken pox; Chronic myeloid leukemia; Esters; Esters - chemistry; Esters - pharmacology; Gene expression; Gene regulation; Harringtonines - chemistry; Harringtonines - pharmacology; Herpesvirus 3, Human - drug effects; Herpesvirus 3, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 3, Human - physiology; Homoharringtonine - chemistry; Homoharringtonine - pharmacology; Humans; Leukemia; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Myeloid leukemia; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Recombinants; Replication; Vaccines; Varicella; Virology; Virus Replication - drug effects; Viruses; 생물학; varicella zoster virus; homoharringtonine; harringtonine; antiviral
• ISSN: 1225-8873; 1976-3794
• DOI: 10.1007/s12275-019-8514-z

Harringtonine (HT) and homoharringtonine (HHT), alkaloid esters isolated from the genus Cephalotaxus , exhibit antitumor activity. A semisynthetic HHT has been approved for treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia. In addition to antileukemic activity, HT and HHT are reported to possess potent antiviral activity. In this study, we investigated the effects of HT and HHT on replication of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in vitro . HT and HHT, but not their biologically inactive parental alkaloid cephalotaxine (CET), significantly inhibited replication of recombinant VZV-pOka luciferase. Furthermore, HT and HHT, but not CET, strongly induced down-regulation of VZV lytic genes and exerted potent antiviral effects against a VZV clinical isolate. The collective data support the utility of HT and HHT as effective antiviral candidates for treatment of VZV-associated diseases.