Squalamine may treat Human Viruses
According to a study led by a Georgetown University Medical Center investigators, squalamine initially isolated from sharks shows potential as a broad-spectrum human antiviral agent and it has been in human clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and several eye disorders, and it's well-known safety profile suggesting that it can be quickly tested as a new class of drugs to treat infections caused by viruses ranging from dengue and yellow fever to hepatitis B, C, and D.
Squalamine seems so well designed to fight certain viral infections, "The key to squalamine is that once in the body it times its action to match the life cycle of most viruses. Most viruses take hours to complete their life cycle, the same time period that squalamine renders tissues and organs viral resistant after administration. In addition, it acts fast to stop viral replication, clearing the body of these predators within hours,” he says.
“Furthermore, because squalamine acts by making the host’s tissues less receptive for infection, rather than by targeting a specific viral protein, the emergence of viral resistance would not be anticipated,” Zasloff adds.
In tissue culture studies squalamine was shown to inhibit the infection of human blood vessel cells by the dengue virus and human liver cells infected with hepatitis B and D, which can cause liver failure and cancer.
.......read more
According to a study led by a Georgetown University Medical Center investigators, squalamine initially isolated from sharks shows potential as a broad-spectrum human antiviral agent and it has been in human clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and several eye disorders, and it's well-known safety profile suggesting that it can be quickly tested as a new class of drugs to treat infections caused by viruses ranging from dengue and yellow fever to hepatitis B, C, and D.
Squalamine seems so well designed to fight certain viral infections, "The key to squalamine is that once in the body it times its action to match the life cycle of most viruses. Most viruses take hours to complete their life cycle, the same time period that squalamine renders tissues and organs viral resistant after administration. In addition, it acts fast to stop viral replication, clearing the body of these predators within hours,” he says.
“Furthermore, because squalamine acts by making the host’s tissues less receptive for infection, rather than by targeting a specific viral protein, the emergence of viral resistance would not be anticipated,” Zasloff adds.
In tissue culture studies squalamine was shown to inhibit the infection of human blood vessel cells by the dengue virus and human liver cells infected with hepatitis B and D, which can cause liver failure and cancer.
.......read more
