Publications by authors named "Joanna S Said"

Screening a library of 1,200 preselected kinase inhibitors for anti-human rhinovirus 2 (HRV-2) activity in HeLa cells identified a class of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI) as effective virus blockers. These were based on the 4-anilinoquinazoline-7-oxypiperidine scaffold, with the most potent representative AZ5385 inhibiting the virus with EC of 0.35 µM.

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Article Synopsis
  • No approved antiviral drugs exist for treating most viral infections in humans, making plant extracts with ethnomedical use vital for discovering new antiviral compounds.
  • The study aims to document medicinal plants used by traditional health practitioners in Tanzania for treating respiratory infections and skin lesions, and to explore their antiviral properties.
  • Fifteen plants were identified as used by traditional healers, with water extracts from six plants showing antiviral activity against RSV and HSV-2, but not against HPIV-2, leading to further separation of active compounds.
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Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and many other viruses, including HIV, initiate infection of host cells by binding to glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains of cell surface proteoglycans. Although GAG mimetics, such as sulfated oligo- and polysaccharides, exhibit potent antiviral activities in cultured cells, the prophylactic application of these inhibitors as vaginal microbicides failed to protect women upon their exposure to HIV. A possible explanation for this failure is that sulfated oligo- and polysaccharides exhibit no typical virucidal activity, as their interaction with viral particles is largely electrostatic and reversible and thereby vulnerable to competition with GAG-binding proteins of the genital tract.

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