The ds-RNA activated protein kinase (PKR) is a serine-threonine kinase with MW of 68 KDa. It belongs to a family of kinases that control one of the translational initiation factors, eIF2. PKR is produced at high level in response to viral infection. This protein by phosphorylating eIF2 inhibits cellular protein synthesis. In this study, the effect of gamma interferon (IFN-γ), an activator, and ...

The hypoglycemic and anti-lipidemic effect of hydro-ethanolic extract of Ceiba pentandra Linn (FamilySterculiaceae) root extracts (CPE) were investigated in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. In the present study, the animals were divided into normal control, diabetic control, diabetic treated and control treated group (n = 6). Effect of oral administration of CPE (300 mg/kg) for 30 days...

A large proportion of the population in Uganda still relies on the use of plant extracts for treatment of various ailments. This study tested the claimed efficacy of some plants in the treatment of measles. In vitro antiviral assays were performed on extracts of two medicinal plants (Warburgia ugandensis and Zanthoxylum chalybeum) using measles virus (Edmonston and Swartz strains) as the test o...

There is an urgent need for potent inhibitors of dengue virus (DENV) replication for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of infections with this virus. We here report on an aglycon analogue of the antibiotic teicoplanin (code name LCTA-949) that inhibits DENV-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) in a dose-dependent manner. Virus infection was completely inhibited at concentrations that had no adverse e...

The immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA) has inhibitory effects on the replication of several viruses. The antiviral effects are through targeting the interaction between viral proteins and host factor cyclophilin A (CypA). CypA has been identified to interact with influenza A virus M1 protein and impair the early stage of the viral life cycle. In order to identify the effect of CsA on in...

This study reports the in vitro inhibitory potential of crude extract of Quercus lusitanica (Q. lusitanica) seeds on the replication of dengue virus type 2 (DEN-2). In vitro antiviral activity of Q. lusitanica extract, assessed in C6/36 cells (cloned cells of Aedes albopictus larvae) employing a virus inhibition assay, showed dose-dependent inhibition. The Q. lusitanica extract at its maximum n...

Treatment of cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells with the catecholamine transport blocker reserpine was shown previously to increase enkephalin levels severalfold. To explore the biochemical mechanism of this effect, we examined the effect of reserpine treatment on the activities of three different peptide precursor processing enzymes: carboxypeptidase E (CPE) and the prohormone convertase...

We have compared in extracts of activated sludge the number of enteroviruses detectable with buffalo green monkey (BGM) cell-cultures versus the number of enteroviral genomes determined by reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). In order to find conditions adequate for quantifying enteroviral RNA isolated from (waste)water we have investigated affinity capture of RNA with po...

BACKGROUND Polygonum chinense Linn. is a common medicinal plant in Southeast Asia and has been used in traditional medicine in Vietnam. The plant contains phytochemicals with various biological properties; however, its antiviral effect has not yet been demonstrated. This study was aimed to evaluate the anti-influenza virus activity of crude extracts of P. chinense, to characterize antiviral met...

We recently found that a polypeptide, the C-terminal of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (C-CPE), was a novel type of drug absorption enhancer. The C-terminal of C-CPE is thought to play a role in the binding of C-CPE to its receptor, claudin-4; however, the function of the N-terminal of C-CPE is unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the role of the N-terminal domain of C-CPE in jejuna...