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Objective: In this study, we describe the synthesis, docking study and biological evaluation of 1,2-benzothiazines 1,1-dioxide derivatives., Methods: Taking the well-known drug, Piroxicam as a lead compound, we designed and synthesized two series of 1,2-benzothiazines 1,1-dioxide derivatives to assay their ability in inhibition of HIV-1 replication in cell culture., Results: Most of the new compounds were active in the cell-based anti-HIV-1 assay with EC50 < 50 μM. Among them, compound 7g was found to be the most active molecule.Docking study using 3OYA pdb code on the most active molecule 7g with EC50 values of 10 μM showed a similar binding mode to the HIV integrase inhibitors., Conclusion: Since all the compounds showed no remarkable cytotoxicity (CC50> 500 μM), the designed scaffold is promising structure for the development of new anti-HIV-1 agents., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

A novel series of benzothiazine-3-carboxamide 1,1-dioxide derivatives by modifying the piroxicam scaffold was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as anti-HIV agents. The 1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide 1,1-dioxide scaffold consists of hydroxy and carboxamide groups as a chelating motif to form an interaction with Mg 2+ ions within the integrase active site as a target. Most of the compounds displayed encouraging anti-HIV activity in a cell-based assay. Among them, compounds 13d , 13l and 13m were the most potent with EC 50 values ranging from 20-25 µM and SI > 26. Docking study of compounds in integrase active site proposed that the mechanism of action of compounds might be through Mg 2+ chelation within integrase active site. The lack of severe cytotoxicity and favorable anti-HIV activity of benzothiazine-3-carboxamide 1,1-dioxide derivatives support further modifications to improve the potency.

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a chemical compound that used is as a carrier in gene therapy/delivery. Some studies have investigated the microbicidal potential and antiviral activity (prophylactic or therapeutic) of PEI and its derivatives. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of branched polyethyleneimine (bPEI) on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication. Infected cells were treated with bPEI for 36 hours, and the concentration of the viral protein P24 (as a virus replication marker) was determined in cell culture supernatants. This study indicated that bPEI increased HIV replication and decreased the viability of infected cells through cytotoxicity. The toxicity of bPEI its association with and cell death (apoptosis, autophagy and necrosis) have been reported in several studies. To investigate bPEI-induced cytotoxicity, we examined apoptosis and autophagy in cells treated with bPEI, and a significant increase in HIV viral load, the P24 antigen level, autophagy, and necrosis observed. Thus, treatment with bPEI leads to cytotoxicity and higher HIV virus yield.

Background: Among different types of human papillomavirus (HPV), types 16 and 18 were known to be high-risk agents causing mainly cervical cancer. Up to now, the potential of HPV E7 protein has been proved as a diagnostic marker of cervical cancer. Moreover, the levels of anti-heat shock protein (Hsp) and anti-high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) antibodies in cancer patients have been useful in tumor diagnosis. The goal of the present study was to determine the efficiency of the potential serologic markers including HPV E7, Hsp20, Hsp27 proteins and Hp91 peptide in Iranian HPV-exposed women, for the first time., Methods: At first, the recombinant HPV E7, Hsp20 and Hsp27 proteins were expressed in E. coli system, and purified by affinity chromatography under native conditions. Then, antibody responses were detected against the recombinant proteins as well as Hp91 peptide as potential markers in 49 Iranian women who were seropositive for HPV-16 and 18 L1 capsids (i.e., HPV-exposed women) and 49 controls using indirect ELISA., Results: Our data indicated that the seroreactivities of women exposed to HPV16, HPV18 and both of them against the recombinant E7, Hsp20, Hsp27 proteins and Hp91 peptide were significantly higher than those in control group (p < 0.05 for HPV16 or HPV18; p < 0.01 for both of them versus all markers). HPV-exposed women with high antibody responses to HPV-16 and 18 L1 capsids as a commercial biomarker had significant seroreactivity to HPV-16 and 18 E7 and Hsp27 (p < 0.05). The recombinant E7 and Hsp27 proteins showed higher efficiency than Hsp20 and Hp91 for detection of individuals exposed to HPV infections (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Generally, the levels of serum E7 and Hsp27 were increased in HPV-16 and 18 L1- seropositive women suggesting their potential value as a diagnostic marker for HPV infections.

The development of new combinations to empower better protection against HIV infection is particularly important. Anionic polymers can block HIV infection. In the current study, first generation (G1) and second generation (G2) novel water-soluble anionic citrate-PEG-citrate dendrimers were synthesized and characterized with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods. After the biocompatibility of the G2 dendrimer was determined, its antiviral activity was evaluated. This function may contribute to the peripheral groups of this dendrimer (carboxylate group). In order to measure the inhibitory effect of G2 on HIV infection, both pre-treatment (treated with G2 dendrimer before HIV infection) and co-treatment (simultaneously treated with G2 dendrimer and HIV infection) were used in vitro. The results showed the good synthesis of the G2 dendrimer, and the dendrimer showed antiviral properties (ICC50:0.4 mM) and low toxicity (CC50:0.6 mM) at high concentrations. A strong inhibitory effect was found when the co-treatment approach was used. This study achieved promising results which encourage the use of G2 dendrimers as anti-HIV agents.

Background: The protective effects of heat shock proteins (Hsps) were studied in some infectious and non-infectious diseases, but their specificity was slightly known in various disorders. Among Hsps, small Hsps (e.g. Hsp27 and Hsp20) have important roles in protein folding and translocation, and also in immunity., Methods: In this study, overexpression of Hsp20 and Hsp27 was performed by transfection of the plasmids encoding Hsp20 and Hsp27 (pEGFP-Hsp20 and pEGFP-Hsp27) into Huh7.5, Hela and Vero cells using Lipofectamine along with heat shock. Then, their anti-herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), anti- human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) and anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) effects, as well as cytotoxicity, were evaluated in vitro, for the first time., Results: Our data showed that simultaneous treatment with Lipofectamine and heat shock augmented the rate of transfection and subsequently the expression of Hsps in these cells. Moreover, overexpression of Hsp20 in HCV-infected Huh7.5 cells, HIV-infected Hela cells and HSV-infected Vero cells reduced the replication of HCV, HIV and HSV, respectively. In contrast, overexpression of Hsp27 significantly decreased HSV replication similar to Hsp20, but it did not affect the replication of HIV and HCV., Conclusion: Generally, Hsp20 was identified as a novel anti-HCV, anti-HSV and anti-HIV agent, but Hsp27 was efficient in the suppression of HSV infection. These Hsps may act through suppression of virus entry and/ or through interaction with viral proteins. Thus, it is necessary to determine their exact mechanisms in the near future., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Objective: Novel vaccination approaches are required to control human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. The membrane proximal external region (MPER) of Env gp41 subunit and the V3/glycans of Env gp120 subunit were known as potential antigenic targets for anti-HIV-1 vaccines. In this study, we prepared the modified dendritic cells (DCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with HIV-1 MPER-V3 gene using mechanical and chemical approaches., Methods: At first, MPER-V3 fusion DNA delivery was optimized in dendritic cells (DCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using three mechanical (i.e., uniaxial cyclic stretch, equiaxial cyclic stretch and shear stress bioreactors), and two chemical (i.e., TurboFect or Lipofectamine) methods. Next, the modified DCs and MSCs with MPER-V3 antigen were compared to induce immune responses in vivo., Results: Our data showed that the combination of equiaxial cyclic stretch loading and lipofectamine twice with 48 h intervals increased the efficiency of transfection about 60.21 ± 1.05 % and 65.06 ± 0.09 % for MSCs and DCs, respectively. Moreover, DCs and MSCs transfected with MPER-V3 DNA in heterologous DC or MSC prime/ peptide boost immunizations induced high levels of IgG2a, IgG2b, IFN-γ and IL-10 directed toward Th1 responses as well as an increased level of Granzyme B. Indeed, the modified MSCs and DCs with MPER-V3 DNA could significantly enhance the MPER/V3-specific T-cell responses compared to MPER/V3 peptide immunization., Conclusions: These findings showed that the modified MSC-based immunization could elicit effective immune responses against HIV antigen similar to the modified DC-based immunization., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Intracellular delivery of DNA is considered a challenge in biological research and treatment of diseases. The previously reported transfection rate by commercially available transfection reagents in cancer cell lines, such as the mouse lung tumor cell line (TC-1), is very low. The purpose of this study is to introduce and optimize an efficient gene transfection method by mechanical approaches. The combinatory transfection effect of mechanical treatments and conventional chemical carriers is also investigated on a formerly reported hard-to-transfect cell line (TC-1). To study the effect of mechanical loadings on transfection rate, TC-1 tumor cells are subjected to uniaxial cyclic stretch, equiaxial cyclic stretch, and shear stress. The TurboFect transfection reagent is exerted for chemical transfection purposes. The pEGFP-N1 vector encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression is utilized to determine gene delivery into the cells. The results show a significant DNA delivery rate (by ~30%) in mechanically transfected cells compared to the samples that were transfected with chemical carriers. Moreover, the simultaneous treatment of TC-1 tumor cells with chemical carriers and mechanical loadings significantly increases the gene transfection rate up to ~ 63% after 24 h post-transfection. Our results suggest that the simultaneous use of mechanical loading and chemical reagent can be a promising approach in delivering cargoes into cells with low transfection potentials and lead to efficient cancer treatments., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Lack of efficient delivery systems for transporting antigenic molecules to the cytosol of antigen-presenting cells presents a major obstacle for antigen uptake by immune cells. To this end, influenza whole inactivated virus vaccines were formulated with chitosan nanoparticles and CpG oligonucleotide as a biodegradable delivery system and a Th1-specific adjuvant, respectively. Intradermal injections of a single high dose and low dose of formulated candidate vaccines were carried out. Thirty days after injection, cell proliferation assay (MTT), IFN-gamma and IL-4 ELISpot assays were conducted. Sera samples were collected 21 days after immunization to measure IgG1 and IgG2a levels. In addition, the mice challenged with mouse-adopted virus were monitored for weight loss. The results show a significant stimulation of both humoral and cellular immunities; also, weight gain and a decrease in mortality in the mice receiving both dosages of inactivated influenza virus vaccines with CpG and Chitosan coating were observed. Based on the results, it can be concluded that formulation of inactivated influenza virus with CpG and its delivery by chitosan as low-dose can return the same results as with high-dose balanced between cellular and humeral immune responses. This formulation could potentially lead to a significant saving in vaccine production.

Objective: In this study, transfection efficiency of human papillomavirus (HPV) E7 DNA and protein constructs into HEK-293T normal cell line, and A549 and TC-1 tumor cell lines was evaluated by four delivery systems including supercharge GFP, hPP10 cell penetrating peptide, TurboFect and Lipofectamine using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry., Results: The results indicated that Lipofectamine 2000 and TurboFect produced more effective transfection for GFP and E7-GFP DNA constructs in HEK-293T cells compared to in A549 and TC-1 cells (p < 0.05). In contrast, the supercharge GFP was efficient for E7 DNA and E7 protein delivery in both normal cell (~ 83.94 and ~ 77.01% for HEK-293T), and cancer cells (~ 71.69 and ~ 67.19% for TC-1, and ~ 73.86 and ~ 67.49% for A549), respectively. Indeed, in these cell lines, transfection efficiency by +36 GFP reached ~ 60-80%. Moreover, the hPP10 produced the best transfection result for E7-GFP protein in HEK-293T cells (~ 63.66%) compared to TurboFect (~ 32.95%); however, the efficiency level of hPP10 was only ~ 17.51 and ~ 16.36% in TC-1 and A549 cells., Conclusions: Our data suggested that the supercharge GFP is the most suitable transfection vehicle for DNA and protein delivery into TC-1 and A549 tumor cell lines compared to other carriers.

A series of tetrahydropyrimidine derivatives (2a - 2l) were designed, synthesized, and screened for anti-HIV-1 properties based on the structures of HIV-1 gp41 binding site inhibitors, NB-2 and NB-64. A computational study was performed to predict the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and drug-likeness features of the studied molecules. Docking studies revealed that the carboxylic acid group in the molecules forms salt bridges with either Lys574 or Arg579. Physiochemical properties (e.g., molecular weight, number of hydrogen bond donors, number of hydrogen bond acceptors, and number of rotatable bonds) of the synthesized compounds confirmed and exhibited that these compounds were within the range set by Lipinski's rule of five. Compounds 2e and 2k with 4-chlorophenyl substituent and 4-methylphenyl group at C(4) position of the tetrahydropyrimidine ring was the most potent one among the tested compounds. This suggests that these compounds may serve as leads for development of novel small-molecule HIV-1 inhibitors., (© 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Background: The lack of an effective vaccine against viral infections, toxicity of the synthetic anti-viral drugs and the generation of resistant viral strains led to discover novel inhibitors. Recently, saffron and its compounds were used to treat different pathological conditions., Method: In this study, we tested the anti-HSV-1 and anti-HIV-1 activities of Iranian saffron extract and its major ingredients including crocin and picrocrocin as well as cytotoxicity in vitro. The data showed that the aqueous saffron extract was not active against HIV-1 and HSV-1 virions at certain doses (i.e., a mild activity), but crocin and picrocrocin indicated significant anti-HSV-1 and also anti-HIV-1 activities. Crocin inhibited the HSV replication at before and after entry of virions into Vero cells. Indeed, crocin carotenoid suppressed HSV penetration in the target cells as well as disturbed virus replication after entry into the cells. Picrocrocin was also effective for inhibiting virus entry and also its replication., Results: This monoterpen aldehyde showed higher anti-HSV effects after virus penetrating in the cells. Generally, these sugar-containing compounds extracted from saffron showed to be effective antiherpetic drug candidates., Conclusion: The recent study is the first report suggesting antiviral activities for saffron extract and its major ingredients. Crocin and picrocrocin could be a promising anti-HSV and anti-HIV agent for herbal therapy against viral infections., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Some new diazo incorporated coumarin compounds were designed and synthesized to evaluate their anti-HIV activity. Overall, compounds were active against HIV at 100 μM. Additionally, no cytotoxic effect was observed at this concentration. The compound with 4-chlorobenzyl group indicated the best anti-HIV activity (52%). Docking studies using the later crystallographic data available for PFV integrase showed similar binding modes to HIV-1 integrase inhibitors. On the basis of these data, nitrogen atoms of 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring have been involved in the Mg 2+ chelation and 4-chlorobenzyl group occupies the same position as 4-flourobenzyl group of raltegravir in the active site. In addition, in silico ADME assay demonstrated favorable physicochemical properties for the new designed compounds. Thus, synthesized structures could be introduced as a novel template for designing safe anti-HIV compounds with integrase inhibitory potential.

The structural similarities between N1 substituted 1,4-dihydropyridines and the known gp41 inhibitors, NB-2 and NB-64, were considered in the current research for the design of some novel anti-HIV-1 agents. A series of novel 4-[4-arylpyridin-1(4H)-yl]benzoic acid derivatives were synthesized and after a comprehensive structural elucidation were screened for in vitro anti-HIV-1 activity. Most of the tested compounds displayed moderate to good inhibitory activity against HIV-1 growth and were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxic activity using XTT assay at the concentration of 100 μm. Among the tested compounds, 1c, 1d and 1e showed potent anti-HIV-1 activity against P24 expression at 100 μm with inhibition percentage of 84.00%, 76.42% and 80.50%, respectively. All the studied compounds possessed no significant cytotoxicity on MT-2 cell line. The binding modes of these compounds to gp41 binding site were determined through molecular docking study. Docking studies proved 1a as the most potent compound and binding maps exhibited that the activities might be attributed to the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions and additional H-bonds with the gp41 binding site. The Lipinski's 'rule of five' and drug-likeness criteria were also calculated for the studied compounds. All derivatives obeyed the Lipinski's 'rule of five' and had drug-like features. The findings of this study suggest that novel 4-[4-arylpyridin-1(4H)-yl]benzoic acid might be a promising scaffold for the discovery and development of novel anti-HIV-1 agents., (© 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Novel vaccine modalities have been designed to improve the efficiency of vaccines against HIV infections. In this way, the HIV-1 Nef protein has been known as an attractive antigenic candidate in therapeutic vaccine development. Moreover, the endogenous adjuvants such as heat shock proteins (HSPs) and high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) have been suggested effectively to induce antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. In this study, different Nef DNA and protein constructs were produced in eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression systems, and their immunostimulatory properties were evaluated using small heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) and the HMGB1-derived peptide (Hp91) in a mouse model. Generally, our results indicated that the Hsp27-Nef fusion DNA or protein could significantly elicit higher humoral and cellular immune responses than Nef DNA or protein, respectively. Analysis of the immune responses demonstrated that the Hsp27-Nef fusion protein, and also the mixture of Nef and Hp91 significantly enhanced the Nef-specific T cell responses. Indeed, these regimens induced high levels of IgG2a and IFN-γ directed toward Th1 responses and also Granzyme B secretion as compared to other immunization strategies. The immunostimulatory properties of Freund's adjuvant were significantly less than Hsp27 and Hp91 peptide in various immunization strategies. These findings showed that the use of Hsp27 and Hp91 in protein strategy could improve HIV-1 Nef-specific B- and T-cell immune responses, and also represent a promising HIV-1 vaccine candidate in future., (Copyright © 2017 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The development of an effective therapeutic vaccine to induce cancer-specific immunity remains problematic. Recently, a species of intracellular pathogen known as Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) has been used to transfer DNA, RNA and proteins into tumour cells as well as elicit an immune response against tumour-specific antigens. Areas covered: Herein, the authors provide the mechanisms of different Listeria monocytogenes strains, which are potential therapeutic cancer vaccine vectors, in addition to their preclinical and clinical development. They also speculate on the future of Lm-based tumour immunotherapies. The article is based on literature published on PubMed and data reported in clinical trials. Expert opinion: Attenuated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have safely been applied as therapeutic bacterial vectors for the delivery of cancer vaccines. These vectors stimulate MHCI and MHCII pathways as well as the proliferation of antigen-specific T lymphocytes. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated the potency of Lm in intracellular gene and protein delivery in vitro and in vivo. They have also indicated safety and efficiacy in clinical trials. Readers should be aware that the ability of attenuated Lm strains to induce potent immune responses depends on the type of deleted or inactivated Lm virulent gene or genes.

A nationwide hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination program for neonates was launched in Iran in 1993. Despite the success of this program, concern about its long-term success still remains, because breakthrough infections due to emergence of surface mutants have been reported in immunized children. We aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of HBV and vaccine escape mutants among individuals born after the initiation of the nationwide vaccination program in Iran. This study included 1115 participants younger than 23 years old, with 223 in each age cohort. The presence of HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc was evaluated using an ELISA kit. HBV-DNA levels were measured in anti-HBc and/or HBsAg-positive subjects. PCR products were sequenced and mutations were identified. The overall HBsAg prevalence was 0.27 %. Anti-HBs and anti-HBc positive rates were 48 % and 0.18 %, respectively. Two individuals were positive for anti-HBc, one of whom was also positive for HBsAg, and the other was positive for anti-HBc only. HBV DNA was detected in three out of four anti-HBc-and /or HBsAg-positive subjects. An I195M mutation within the S gene was detected in two of the three HBV-DNA-positive cases. A very low prevalence of HBsAg and isolated anti-HBc were found in this study. The I195M mutation found in the surface gene could have been induced by immune pressure. Although the number of ''vaccine escape'' mutants found in this cohort was low, ongoing surveillance of breakthrough infections and escape mutants is still needed.

One of the significant problems in vaccination projects is the lack of an effective vaccine against hepatitis C virus (HCV). The goal of the current study is to evaluate and compare two DNA constructs encoding HCV core and coreE1E2 genes alone or complexed with MPG peptide as a delivery system for stimulation of antibody responses and IFN-γ secretion in Balb/c mice model. Indeed, MPG cell penetrating peptide was used to improve DNA immunization in mice. Our results demonstrated that MPG forms stable non-covalent nanoparticles with pcDNA-core and pcDNA-coreE1E2 at an N/P ratio of 10:1. The in vitro transfection efficiency of core or coreE1E2 DNA using MPG and TurboFect delivery systems was confirmed by western blot analysis. The results indicated the expression of the full-length core (∼21 kDa), and coreE1E2 (∼83 kDa) proteins using an anti-His monoclonal antibody. In addition, the expression of HCV core and coreE1E2 proteins was performed in bacteria and the purified recombinant proteins were injected to mice with Montanide 720 adjuvant. Our data showed that the immunized mice with HCV core and coreE1E2 proteins generated the mixture of sera IgG1 and IgG2a isotypes considerably higher than other groups. Furthermore, DNA constructs encoding core and coreE1E2 complexed with MPG could significantly induce IFN-γ secretion in lower concentrations than the naked core and coreE1E2 DNAs. Taken together, the DNA formulations as well as protein regimens used in this study triggered high-level IFN-γ production in mice, an important feature for the development of Th1 immune responses.