Aminomethylnaphthoquinones and HSV-1: in vitro and in silico evaluations of potential antivirals.

Background: Herpes simplex viruses (HSV) are leading causes of human infections which result in severe manifestations, especially in neonates, immunocompromised and/or transplanted individuals. Current HSV type-1 (HSV-1) resistance to standard antiviral agents is a therapeutic challenge, especially for treating immunocompromised patients.

Methods: Herein we describe the promising antiviral profile of three 2-aminomethyl-3-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones against HSV-1 using Vero cells.

Results: The in silico theoretical analysis indicated that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the conformational features of these molecules are important structural features for modulating their biological activity. Our in vitro results showed that these compounds have significant anti-HSV-1 activity comparable to acyclovir, the antiviral currently used clinically. Importantly two of them showed a lower cytotoxicity profile against Vero cells than acyclovir. The inhibitory mechanism analysis using a time-of-addition assay revealed that all compounds inhibit the late phase of lytic replication. Finally, the highest selectivity index of the first tested compound was almost twice as high as that of acyclovir.

Conclusions: Since resistance is still a problem for treating HSV infections, these compounds present a promising profile toward the development of new strategies for anti-HSV-1 therapy.