/ Alexander Raths, stock.adobe.com
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Gieen The synthetic molecule CR-31-B, which is similar to a substance found in mahogany, but is easier to produce, has been used in laboratory experiments in Antiviral Research (2020; doi: 10.1016 / j.antiviral.2020.104706) blocked, among other things, the multiplication of corona viruses in cell cultures. The agent is not suitable for use in the current epidemic due to the lack of preclinical and clinical experience.
The tropical mahogany is used in Borneo as a traditional medicinal plant against a variety of diseases. Pharmacologists have therefore looked for possible active substances in the plant. They came across the ingredient Silvestrol.
In previous laboratory studies, the molecule inhibited the eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), which is involved in the translation, i.e. the conversion of messenger RNA into proteins. Since many RNA viruses use this route for replication in the infected cells, Silvestrol could act as a remedy for viral diseases.
A team led by Arnold Grnweller from the University of Gieen was able to show in previous studies that silvestrol inhibits the multiplication of zika viruses and ebola viruses in cell cultures (viruses 2018; 10: 149 and Antiviral Research 2017; 137: 76-81). They therefore classify Silvestrol as a possible broad-spectrum viratic agent that could in principle be used against a large number of RNA viruses.
Unfortunately, Silvestrol is very difficult to manufacture chemically. The researchers are therefore experimenting with CR-31-B, a synthetic variant of Silvestrol that could be produced more quickly and cost-effectively.
In their current experiments, the researchers examined the effectiveness of CR-31-B on cell cultures infected with the human coronavirus 229E. 229E is a causative agent of colds and distant relatives of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV.
In the experiments, CR-31-B achieved an effect that was as good as that of Silvestrol. The differences in the molecular structure between the two substances therefore do not seem to be important. According to Grnweller, CR-31-B is also effective against Zika, Lassa and Crimean Congo fever viruses. Therefore, like Silvestrol, it could be a possible broad-spectrum viratic agent.
According to Grnweller, the drug is still a long way from clinical use, especially since no animal experiments, let alone clinical studies, have yet been carried out.
However, an agent with a similar molecular structure to CR-31-B has already been tested in a clinical study in cancer patients, reports Grnweller. This gives hope that CR-31-B could prove to be compatible and perhaps also effective in its further development. © warmth / aerzteblatt.de
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