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Emerging Biotechnological Approaches for Natural Antiviral Molecules Discovery
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Emerging Biotechnological Approaches for Natural Antiviral Molecules Discovery

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 4159

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rosamaria Pennisi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: natural antivirals; host and viruses interaction; intracellular trafficking of viral infection; herpesviruses; HSV-1; viral immune evasion; virus-induced cell death; RNAi; small RNAs as therapeutics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Maria Teresa Sciortino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, V.le F. Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: immunological aspects of herpesvirus infections; role of PCD in pathogenesis of viral infections; functional studies of UL49 and UL41 structural proteins, during HSV replication; involvement of ERK1 pathway in the modulation of CCR5 receptor; studies of cyclodextrins carriers as drug or nucleic acid delivery system for cancer therapy, imaging and for antiviral treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giuseppina Mandalari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Science, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: antimicrobials, antiviral, gut microbiota, plant extracts, bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

International Journal of Molecular Science is planning a Special Issue focusing on emerging approaches useful to discover natural compounds with an antiviral potential. The current SARS-CoV2 epidemic and the difficulties being encountered in fighting the spread of new waves of infection, has increasingly engaged researchers in the search for novel antiviral drugs from plants and other natural sources as alternatives for prophylaxis. The technological revolution in the field of genomics and proteomics has led to the development of innovative molecular approaches useful to understand the host-virus interaction, as well as to characterize the antivirals properties of natural compounds and their impact on cellular biology. We welcome submissions on the discovery of novel natural antiviral molecules through advanced cell-based technologies alternative to the conventional cytopathic effect inhibition. The study of the effect of small natural molecules on viral transcriptional patterns, the development of bioinformatics and computational tools, biochemical assays based on protein-protein interactions can reveal the mechanism of action of molecules with antiviral activity. Authors are invited to submit original research articles and reviews on the antiviral properties of extracts characterizing the molecular mechanism and the phytochemical compounds responsible for the antiviral activity.

Dr. Rosamaria Pennisi
Prof. Dr. Maria Teresa Sciortino
Dr. Giuseppina Mandalari
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural antivirals
  • biotechnology
  • viruses
  • cellular signalling
  • natural bioactive compounds
  • viral infections
  • antiviral therapeutics
  • virus inhibition assays

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 5600 KiB  
Article
The Novel A-Type Proanthocyanidin-Rich Phytocomplex SP4™ Acts as a Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Agent against Human Respiratory Viruses
by Giulia Sibille, Giuseppe Mannino, Ilaria Frasson, Marta Pavan, Anna Luganini, Cristiano Salata, Massimo E. Maffei and Giorgio Gribaudo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(13), 7370; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25137370 - 5 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1315
Abstract
The appearance of new respiratory virus infections in humans with epidemic or pandemic potential has underscored the urgent need for effective broad-spectrum antivirals (BSAs). Bioactive compounds derived from plants may provide a natural source of new BSA candidates. Here, we investigated the novel [...] Read more.
The appearance of new respiratory virus infections in humans with epidemic or pandemic potential has underscored the urgent need for effective broad-spectrum antivirals (BSAs). Bioactive compounds derived from plants may provide a natural source of new BSA candidates. Here, we investigated the novel phytocomplex formulation SP4™ as a candidate direct-acting BSA against major current human respiratory viruses, including coronaviruses and influenza viruses. SP4™ inhibited the in vitro replication of SARS-CoV-2, hCoV-OC43, hCoV-229E, Influenza A and B viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus in the low-microgram range. Using hCoV-OC43 as a representative respiratory virus, most of the antiviral activity of SP4™ was observed to stem primarily from its dimeric A-type proanthocyanidin (PAC-A) component. Further investigations of the mechanistic mode of action showed SP4™ and its PAC-A-rich fraction to prevent hCoV-OC43 from attaching to target cells and exert virucidal activity. This occurred through their interaction with the spike protein of hCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2, thereby interfering with spike functions and leading to the loss of virion infectivity. Overall, these findings support the further development of SP4™ as a candidate BSA of a natural origin for the prevention of human respiratory virus infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Biotechnological Approaches for Natural Antiviral Molecules Discovery)
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Review

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19 pages, 1550 KiB  
Review
Pseudovirus-Based Systems for Screening Natural Antiviral Agents: A Comprehensive Review
by Paola Trischitta, Maria Pia Tamburello, Assunta Venuti and Rosamaria Pennisi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(10), 5188; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25105188 - 10 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1978
Abstract
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, researchers have been working tirelessly to discover effective ways to combat coronavirus infection. The use of computational drug repurposing methods and molecular docking has been instrumental in identifying compounds that have the potential to disrupt the binding between [...] Read more.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, researchers have been working tirelessly to discover effective ways to combat coronavirus infection. The use of computational drug repurposing methods and molecular docking has been instrumental in identifying compounds that have the potential to disrupt the binding between the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 and human ACE2 (hACE2). Moreover, the pseudovirus approach has emerged as a robust technique for investigating the mechanism of virus attachment to cellular receptors and for screening targeted small molecule drugs. Pseudoviruses are viral particles containing envelope proteins, which mediate the virus’s entry with the same efficiency as that of live viruses but lacking pathogenic genes. Therefore, they represent a safe alternative to screen potential drugs inhibiting viral entry, especially for highly pathogenic enveloped viruses. In this review, we have compiled a list of antiviral plant extracts and natural products that have been extensively studied against enveloped emerging and re-emerging viruses by pseudovirus technology. The review is organized into three parts: (1) construction of pseudoviruses based on different packaging systems and applications; (2) knowledge of emerging and re-emerging viruses; (3) natural products active against pseudovirus-mediated entry. One of the most crucial stages in the life cycle of a virus is its penetration into host cells. Therefore, the discovery of viral entry inhibitors represents a promising therapeutic option in fighting against emerging viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Biotechnological Approaches for Natural Antiviral Molecules Discovery)
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