The novel avian H7N9 influenza virus has caused more than 130 human infections with 43 deaths (as of September, 2013) in China. Because of the lack of existing immunity against H7 subtype influenza viruses in the human population and the absence of a licensed commercial vaccine, antiviral drugs are critical tools for the treatment of infection with this novel H7N9. Both M2-ion channel blockers ...

A rapid and precise assay for neuraminidase using 2-(3'-methoxyphenyl)-N-acetyl-alpha-neuraminic acid (MPN) is described. It is proposed that this substrate be used for the standardization of activity of neuraminidases from viral, bacterial, and mammalian sources. MPN is also used as a chromogenic substrate to localize influenza and parainfluenza virus foci in tissue culture. This technique per...

Two hundred and forty-five human influenza A and B viruses isolated in Australia between 1996 and 2003 were tested for their sensitivity to the NA inhibitor drugs, zanamivir and oseltamivir using a fluorescence-based neuraminidase inhibition assay. Based on mean IC50 values, influenza A viruses (with neuraminidase subtypes N1 and N2) were more sensitive to both the NA inhibitors than were influ...

Terminal saccharide sequences in rat photoreceptor cell surface glycoconjugates were characterized. Lectin cytochemistry and electron microscopy were used for preembedding cytochemical localization of surface carbohydrates. Neuraminidase digestion was employed for the exposure of penultimate saccharides in sialoglycoconjugates. Isolated rat retinas were incubated with ferritin-labeled wheat ger...

Murine hepatocytes, isolated by an in situ collagenase-perfusion technique and cultured in Petri dishes, were shown to form rosettes with liver-metastasizing syngeneic tumor cells. Pretreatment of the tumor cells with neuraminidase generally increased the binding, whereas pretreatment of the liver cells with neuraminidase abolished the binding completely. The tumor-cell binding may be mediated ...

The urgent need of neuraminidase inhibitors (NI) has provided an impetus for understanding the structure requisite at molecular level. Our search for selective inhibitors of neuraminidase has led to the identification of pharmacophoric requirements at various positions around acyl thiourea pharmacophore. The main objective of present study is to develop selective NI, with least toxicity and dru...

Terminal saccharide sequences in rat photoreceptor cell surface glycoconjugates were characterized. Lectin cytochemistry and electron microscopy were used for preembedding cytochemical localization of surface carbohydrates. Neuraminidase digestion was employed for the exposure of penultimate saccharides in sialoglyconjugates. Isolated rat retinas were incubated with ferritin-labeled wheat germ ...

A comparison was made between the amounts of sialic acid released from viable cell suspensions of normal and malignant cells by Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase (VCN) and by influenza virus neuraminidase. More sialic acid can be removed by enzyme digestion from various tumors than from normal lymphoid cells. More sialic acid can be removed from the surface of both normal and tumor cells by VCN tha...