The 2009 flu pandemic and the appearance of oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 influenza strains highlight the need for treatment alternatives. One such option is the creation of a protective physical barrier in the nasal cavity. In vitro tests demonstrated that iota-carrageenan is a potent inhibitor of influenza A virus infection, most importantly also of pandemic H1N1/2009 in vitro. Consequently, we tested a commercially available nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan in an influenza A mouse infection model. Treatment of mice infected with a lethal dose of influenza A PR8/34 H1N1 virus with iota-carrageenan starting up to 48 hours post infection resulted in a strong protection of mice similar to mice treated with oseltamivir. Since alternative treatment options for influenza are rare, we conclude that the nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan is an alternative to neuraminidase inhibitors and should be tested for prevention and treatment of influenza A in clinical trials in humans.
Iota-Carrageenan Is a Potent Inhibitor of Influenza A Virus Infection
A. Leibbrandt,C. Meier,Marielle König-Schuster,R. Weinmüllner,D. Kalthoff,B. Pflugfelder,Philipp Graf,Britta Frank-Gehrke,M. Beer,T. Fazekas,H. Unger,E. Prieschl-Grassauer,Andreas Grassauer
Published 2010 in PLoS ONE
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2010
- Venue
PLoS ONE
- Publication date
2010-12-14
- Fields of study
Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
CITATION MAP
EXTRACTION MAP
CLAIMS
CONCEPTS
- influenza a mouse infection model
A lethal mouse challenge model using PR8/34 H1N1 influenza A virus to test treatment efficacy.
Aliases: mouse infection model, PR8/34 H1N1 mouse model
- influenza a virus infection
Infection caused by influenza A viruses, used here as the experimental target in cell and mouse assays.
Aliases: influenza A infection
- iota-carrageenan
A sulfated polysaccharide used here as the antiviral active ingredient in vitro and in the nasal spray formulation.
Aliases: ι-carrageenan
- nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan
A commercially available intranasal formulation that delivers iota-carrageenan to the nasal cavity.
Aliases: iota-carrageenan nasal spray
- neuraminidase inhibitors
A class of influenza antivirals that block the viral neuraminidase enzyme and are referenced as the comparator class in the conclusion.
Aliases: NA inhibitors
- oseltamivir
An approved anti-influenza drug used here as the comparator treatment in the mouse model.
Aliases: Tamiflu
- pandemic h1n1/2009 influenza virus
The 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza A strain used in the in vitro inhibition experiments.
Aliases: H1N1/2009, pandemic H1N1
REFERENCES
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