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Intestinal epithelial barrier destruction occurs earlier than mucosal immune dysfunction in the acute stage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections. At present, however, the cause of compromised gastrointestinal integrity in early SIV infection remains unknown. In the current study, we investigated the effects of SIV infection on epithelial barrier integrity and explored oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage and apoptosis in epithelial cells from early acute SIVmac239-infected Chinese rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Results showed that the sensitive molecular marker of small intestinal barrier dysfunction, i.e., intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (IFABP), was significantly increased in plasma at 14 days post-SIV infection. SIV infection induced a profound decrease in the expression of tight junction proteins, including claudin-1, claudin-3, and zonula occludens (ZO)-1, as well as a significant increase in the active form of caspase-3 level in epithelial cells. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis suggested that differentially expressed genes between pre- and post-SIV-infected jejuna were enriched in pathways involved in cell redox homeostasis, oxidoreductase activity, and mitochondria. Indeed, a SIV-mediated increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the epithelium and macrophages, as well as an increase in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and decrease in glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) antioxidant defense, were observed in SIV-infected jejuna. In addition, the accumulation of mitochondrial dysfunction and DNA oxidative damage led to an increase in senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) and early apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cells. Furthermore, HIV-1 Tat protein-induced epithelial monolayer disruption in HT-29 cells was rescued by antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). These results indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in jejunal epithelial cells are primary contributors to gut epithelial barrier disruption in early SIV-infected rhesus macaques.

A pair of new oxindole alkaloids, named macrophyllines C (1) and D (2), together with two known oxindole alkaloids isorhynchophylline (3) and corynoxine (4) were isolated from Uncaria macrophylla. Their structures were elucidated based on detailed spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with literature data. In addition, all the isolates were tested for their anti-HIV activities and cytotoxicities in C8166 cells and compounds 2-4 showed weak anti-HIV activities with EC50 values of 11.31 ± 3.29 μM, 18.77 ± 6.14 μM and 30.02 ± 3.73 μM, respectively.

Raising a heterologous tier 2 neutralizing antibody (nAb) response remains a daunting task for HIV vaccine development. In this study, we explored the utility of diverse HIV-1 envelope (Env) immunogens in a sequential immunization scheme as a solution to this task. This exploration stemmed from the rationale that gp145, a membrane-bound truncation form of HIV Env, may facilitate the focusing of induced antibody response on neutralizing epitopes when sequentially combined with the soluble gp140 form as immunogens in a prime-boost mode. We first showed that gp140 DNA prime-gp145 Tiantan vaccinia (TV) boost likely represents a general format for inducing potent nAb response in mice. However, when examined in rhesus macaque, this modality showed little effectiveness. To improve the efficacy, we extended the original modality by adding a strong protein boost, namely native-like SOSIP.664 trimer displayed on ferritin-based nanoparticle (NP), which was generated by a newly developed click approach. The resulting three-immunization regimen succeeded in eliciting tier-2 nAb response with substantial breadth when implemented in rhesus macaque over a short 8-week schedule. Importantly, the elicited nAb response was able to effectively contain viremia upon a heterologous SHIV challenge. Collectively, our studies highlighted that diversification of Env immunogens, in both types and formulations, under the framework of a sequential immunization scheme might open new opportunity toward HIV vaccine development. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s12250-021-00361-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease Vaccines are an important tool in the fight against COVID-19, but developing antiviral drugs is also a high priority, especially with the rise of variants that may partially evade vaccines. The viral protein main protease is required for cleaving precursor polyproteins into functional viral proteins. This essential function makes it a key drug target. Qiao et al. designed 32 inhibitors based on either boceprevir or telaprevir, both of which are protease inhibitors approved to treat hepatitis C virus. Six compounds protected cells from viral infection with high potency, and two of these were selected for in vivo studies based on pharmokinetic experiments. Both showed strong antiviral activity in a mouse model. Science, this issue p. 1374, Designed SARS-CoV-2 Mpro (main protease) inhibitors display excellent antiviral activity both in vitro and in a transgenic mouse model., The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continually poses serious threats to global public health. The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a central role in viral replication. We designed and synthesized 32 new bicycloproline-containing Mpro inhibitors derived from either boceprevir or telaprevir, both of which are approved antivirals. All compounds inhibited SARS-CoV-2 Mpro activity in vitro, with 50% inhibitory concentration values ranging from 7.6 to 748.5 nM. The cocrystal structure of Mpro in complex with MI-23, one of the most potent compounds, revealed its interaction mode. Two compounds (MI-09 and MI-30) showed excellent antiviral activity in cell-based assays. In a transgenic mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, oral or intraperitoneal treatment with MI-09 or MI-30 significantly reduced lung viral loads and lung lesions. Both also displayed good pharmacokinetic properties and safety in rats.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the cause of severe liver disease in many people. The restricted species tropism of HCV hinders the research and development of drugs and vaccines. The Chinese tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) is a close relative of primates and can be infected by HCV, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we have characterized the functions of tree shrew MAVS (tMAVS) in response to HCV infection and defined the capacity of HCV replication. HCV was shown to be colocalized with tMAVS in primary tree shrew hepatocytes and cleaved tMAVS at site Cys508 via its NS3/4A protease, with a modulating effect by site Glu506 of tMAVS. The tMAVS cleavage by HCV NS3/4A impaired the IRF3-mediated induction of IFN-β but maintained the activated NF-κB signaling in the tree shrew primary cells. Activation of the tMAVS-dependent NF-κB signaling inversely inhibited HCV replication and might limit the establishment of persistent infection. Overall, our study has revealed an elegant example of the balance between the host defenses and HCV infection via the MAVS-mediated antiviral signaling and has provided an insight into the mechanisms underpinning HCV infection in the Chinese tree shrew.

A series of 2-(((5-akly/aryl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)methyl)thio)-5-alkyl-6-(cyclohexylmethyl)-pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones were synthesized and their anti-HIV-1 activities were evaluated. Most of these compounds were highly active against wild-type (WT) HIV-1 strain (IIIB) with EC50 values in the range of 0.0038–0.4759 μmol/L. Among those compounds, I-11 had an EC50 value of 3.8 nmol/L and SI (selectivity index) of up to 25,468 indicating excellent activity against WT HIV-1. In vitro anti-HIV-1 activity and resistance profile studies suggested that compounds I-11 and I-12 displayed potential anti-HIV-1 activity against laboratory adapted strains and primary isolated strains including different subtypes and tropism strains (EC50s range from 4.3 to 63.6 nmol/L and 18.9–219.3 nmol/L, respectively). On the other hand, it was observed that those two compounds were less effective with EC50 values of 2.77 and 4.87 μmol/L for HIV-1A17 (K103N + Y181C). The activity against reverse transcriptase (RT) was also evaluated for those compounds. Both I-11 and I-12 obtained sub-micromolar IC50 values showing their potential in RT inhibition. The pharmacokinetics examination in rats indicated that compound I-11 has acceptable pharmacokinetic properties and bioavailability. Preliminary structure–activity relationships and molecular modeling studies were also discussed. Key words: HIV-1, NNRTIs, S-DABOs, Antiviral activity, SAR, Molecular modeling

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) hydrolyze the N-glycosidic bond and depurinate a specific adenine residue (A-4324 in rat 28S ribosomal RNA, rRNA) in the conserved α-sarcin/ricin loop (α-SRL) of rRNA. In this study, we have purified and characterized lyophyllin, an unconventional RIP from Lyophyllum shimeji, an edible mushroom. The protein resembles peptidase M35 domain of peptidyl-Lys metalloendopeptidases. Nevertheless, protein either from the mushroom or in recombinant form possessed N-glycosidase and protein synthesis inhibitory activities. A homology model of lyophyllin was constructed. It was found that the zinc binding pocket of this protein resembles the catalytic cleft of a classical RIP, with key amino acids that interact with the adenine substrate in the appropriate positions. Mutational studies showed that E122 may play a role in stabilizing the positively charged oxocarbenium ion and H121 for protonating N-3 of adenine. The tyrosine residues Y137 and Y104 may be used for stacking the target adenine ring. This work first shows a protein in the peptidase M35 superfamily based on conserved domain search possessing N-glycosidase activity.

Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) have been widely used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Because viral DNA polymerase lacks proofreading function (3' exonuclease activity), theoretically, the incorporated NAs would irreversibly terminate viral DNA synthesis. This study explored the natures of nascent hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and infectivity of progeny virions produced under NA treatment. HBV infectivity was determined by infection of HepG2-NTCP cells and primary human hepatocytes (PHHs). Biochemical properties of HBV DNA in the progeny virions were investigated by qPCR, northern blotting, or Southern blotting hybridization, sucrose gradient centrifugation, and in vitro endogenous DNA polymerase assay. Progeny HBV virions produced under NA treatment were mainly not infectious to HepG2-NTCP cells or PHHs. Biochemical analysis revealed that under NA treatment, HBV DNA in nucleaocapsids or virions were predominantly short minus-strand DNA with irreversible termination. This finding was supported by the observation of first disappearance of relaxed circular DNA and then the proportional decline of HBV-DNA levels corresponding to the regions of PreC/C, S, and X genes in serial sera of patients receiving NA treatment. Conclusion: HBV virions produced under NA treatment are predominantly replication deficient because the viral genomes are truncated and elongation of DNA chains is irreversibly terminated. Clinically, our results suggest that the viral loads of CHB patients under NA therapy vary with the different regions of genome being detected by qPCR assays. Our findings also imply that NA prevention of perinatal and sexual HBV transmission as well as infection of transplanted livers works not only by reducing viral loads, but also by producing noninfectious virions.

Eight new sulfur-bridged pyranonaphthoquinone (PNQ) dimers, naquihexcins C-J (1-8), a new PNQ monomer, naquihexcin K (10), and three known analogues (9, 11, and 12) were isolated from Streptomyces sp. KIB3133. The new structures were elucidated by interpretation of spectroscopic data. Dimer 4 was synthesized via a cascade SN2 reactions between two monomers and sodium sulfide, an approach motivated by the proposed biosynthetic pathway of dimeric pyranonaphthoquinones. Naquihexcin E (3) exhibited moderate HIV-1 inhibitory activity. Naquihexcins C (1), E (3), and I (7) showed inhibitory effects against two tumor cell lines (HL-60 and MCF-7) with IC50 values ranging from 1.4 to 16.1 μM.

Naturally abundant quinones are important molecules, which play essential roles in various biological processes due to their reduction potential. In contrast to their universality, the investigation of reactions between quinones and proteins remains sparse. Herein, we report the development of a convenient strategy to protein modification via a biomimetic quinone-mediated oxidation at the N-terminus. By exploiting unique reactivity of an ortho-quinone reagent, the α-amine of protein N-terminus is oxidized to generate aldo or keto handle for orthogonal conjugation. The applications have been demonstrated using a range of proteins, including myoglobin, ubiquitin and small ubiquitin-related modifier 2 (SUMO2). The effect of this method is further highlighted via the preparation of a series of 17 macrophage inflammatory protein 1β (MIP-1β) analogs, followed by preliminary anti-HIV activity and cell viability assays, respectively. This method offers an efficient and complementary approach to existing strategies for N-terminal modification of proteins., Methods for selective modification of the N-terminus of proteins are of high interest, but mostly require specific amino acid residues. Here, the authors report a selective and fast method for N-terminal modification of proteins based on quinone-mediated oxidation of the alpha-amine to aldehyde or ketone, and apply it to diverse proteins.

OKT4 is an important epitope of the CD4 molecular. Amino acid mutations in the CD4V3 region result in deficiency of the OKT4 epitope in human. Here, we firstly reported a case of hereditary deficiency of OKT4 epitope in an inbred Chinese rhesus macaque family. This epitope deficiency is due to cytosine to thymine transition and homozygote at the nucleotide position 793 of CD4 coding sequences, which leads to the replace of arginine at 265th position of CD4 molecule by tryptophan. The results reveal that OKT4 epitope deficiency is a very old phenotype and may be parentally inherited, and emphasize the importance of avoiding inbreeding in primate population breeding.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are N-glycosidases. They depurinate A-4324 in rat 28S ribosomal RNA in the conserved α-sarcin/ricin loop (α-SRL) and cease protein synthesis. Our group has shown that the internal peptide of the maize RIP precursor reduced the anti-HIV activity of the protein in infected macaque peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and SHIV 89.6-infected Chinese rhesus macaque. We made use of the switch-on mechanism of maize RIP to incorporate HIV-1 protease recognition sequences to its internal inactivation region. Upon activation of this engineered maize RIP by HIV-1 protease in HIV-infected cells, the N-glycosidase activity and inhibitory effect on p24 antigen production in vitro and in infected human T cells were enhanced. This switch-on mechanism can also be applied to ricin A chain (RTA). RTA variants with HIV-1 protease recognition sequence at the C-terminus can be cleaved both in vitro and in HIV-infected cells. Furthermore, its antiviral effect was enhanced and the cytotoxicity towards uninfected cells was reduced. Our study provides a platform technology in creating protein toxin derivatives with increased pathogen-specific cytotoxicity.

The rapid development of electronic devices with high integration levels, a light weight, and a multifunctional performance has fostered the design of novel polymer materials with low dielectric constants, which is crucial for the electronic packaging and encapsulation of these electronic components. Theoretical studies are more efficient and cost-effective for screening potential polymer materials with low dielectric constants than experimental investigations. In this study, we used a molecular density functional theory (DFT) approach combined with the B3LYP functional at the 6-31+G(d, p) basis set to validate the feasibility of predicting static dielectric constants of the polymer materials. First, we assessed the influence of the basis sets on the polarizability. Furthermore, the changes of polarizability, polarizability per monomer unit, and differences in polarizability between the consecutive polymer chains as a function of the number of monomers were summarized and discussed. We outlined a similar behavior for the volume of the polymers as well. Finally, we simulated dielectric constants of three typical polymer materials, polyethylene (PE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and polystyrene (PS), by combining with the Clausius&ndash, Mossotti equation. The simulated results showed excellent agreement with experimental data from the literature, suggesting that this theoretical DFT method has great potential for the molecular design and development of novel polymer materials with low dielectric constants.

The viral infectivity factor (Vif)–apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3G (APOBEC3G) axis has been recognized as a valid target for developing novel small-molecule therapies for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or for enhancing innate immunity against viruses. Our previous work reported the novel Vif antagonist 2-amino-N-(2-methoxyphenyl)-6-((4-nitrophenyl)sulfonyl)benzamide (2) with strong antiviral activity. In this work, through optimizations of ring C of 2, we discovered the more potent compound 6m with an EC50 of 0.07 μM in non-permissive H9 cells, reflecting an approximately 5-fold enhancement of antiviral activity compared to that of 2. Western blotting indicated that 6m more strongly suppressed the defensive protein Vif than 2 at the same concentration. Furthermore, 6m suppressed the replication of various clinical drug-resistant HIV strains (FI, NRTI, NNRTI, IN and PI) with relatively high efficacy. These results suggested that compound 6m is a more potent candidate for treating AIDS.

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic worldwide. Currently, however, no effective drug or vaccine is available to treat or prevent the resulting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we report our discovery of a promising anti-COVID-19 drug candidate, the lipoglycopeptide antibiotic dalbavancin, based on virtual screening of the FDA-approved peptide drug library combined with in vitro and in vivo functional antiviral assays. Our results showed that dalbavancin directly binds to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with high affinity, thereby blocking its interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Furthermore, dalbavancin effectively prevents SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero E6 cells with an EC50 of ~12 nM. In both mouse and rhesus macaque models, viral replication and histopathological injuries caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection are significantly inhibited by dalbavancin administration. Given its high safety and long plasma half-life (8–10 days) shown in previous clinical trials, our data indicate that dalbavancin is a promising anti-COVID-19 drug candidate.

In order to discover and develop the new HIV-1 NNRTIs, a series of 5-alkyl-6-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylalkyl)-2-mercaptopyrimidin-4(3H)-ones was synthesized and screened for their in vitro cytotoxicity against HIV-1. Most of the compounds we synthetized showed high activity against wild-type HIV-1 strain (IIIB) while IC50 values are in the range of 0.06–12.95 μM. Among them, the most active HIV-1 inhibitor was compound 6-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethyl)-5-ethyl-2-((2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxoethyl)thio)pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (5b), which exhibited similar HIV-1 inhibitory potency (IC50 = 0.06 μM, CC50 = 96.23 μM) compared with nevirapine (IC50 = 0.04 μM, CC50 >200 μM) and most of compounds exhibited submicromolar IC50 values indicating they were specific RT inhibitors. The compounds 5b, 6-(benzo[d] [1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-5-ethyl-2-((2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxoethyl)thio)pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (5c) and 4-(2-((4-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethyl)-5-ethyl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyrimidin-2-yl)thio)acetyl)phenylbenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxylate (5r) were selected for further study. It was found that all of them had little toxicity to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), and had a good inhibitory effect on the replication of HIV-1 protease inhibitor resistant strains, fusion inhibitor resistant strains and nucleosides reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistant strains, as well as on clinical isolates. Besides, compound 5b and 5c showed inhibition of HIV-1 RT RNA-dependent DNA polymerization activity and DNA-dependent DNA polymerization activity, while compound 5r only showed inhibition of HIV DNA-dependent DNA polymerization activity, which was different from classical reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Our study which offered the preliminary structure-activity relationships and modeling studies of these new compounds has provided the valuable avenues for future molecular optimization.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are N-glycosidases, which depurinate a specific adenine residue in the conserved α-sarcin/ricin loop (α-SRL) of rRNA. This loop is important for anchoring elongation factor (EF-G for prokaryote or eEF2 for eukaryote) in mRNA translocation. Translation is inhibited after the attack. RIPs therefore may have been applied for anti-cancer, and anti-virus and other therapeutic applications. The main obstacles of treatment with RIPs include short plasma half-life, non-selective cytotoxicity and antigenicity. This review focuses on the strategies used to improve the pharmacological properties of RIPs on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cancers. Coupling with polyethylene glycol (PEG) increases plasma time and reduces antigenicity. RIPs conjugated with antibodies to form immunotoxins increase the selective toxicity to target cells. The prospects for future development on the engineering of RIPs for improving their pharmacological properties are also discussed.

Both HIV and DENV are serious threats to human life, health and social economy today. So far, no vaccine for either HIV or DENV has been developed successfully. The research on anti-HIV or DENV drugs is still of great significance. In this study we developed a series of novel 2-Aryl-1H-pyrazole-S-DABOs with C6-strucutral optimizations as potent NNRTIs, among which, 8 compounds had low cytotoxicity and EC50 values in the range of 0.0508 ∼ 0.0966 μM, and their selectivity index was SI > 1415 ∼ 3940. In particular, two compounds 4a and 4b were identified to have good inhibitory effects on DENV of four serotypes. The EC50 of compound 4a and 4b against DENV-II (13.2 μM and 9.23 μM, respectively) were better than that of the positive control ribavirin (EC50 = 40.78 μM). In addition, the effect of C-6 substituents on the anti-HIV or anti-DENV activity of these compounds was also discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unprecedented in human history. As a major structural protein, nucleocapsid protein (NPro) is critical to the replication of SARS-CoV-2. In this work, 17 NPro-targeting phenanthridine derivatives were rationally designed and synthesized, based on the crystal structure of NPro. Most of these compounds can interact with SARS-CoV-2 NPro tightly and inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Compounds 12 and 16 exhibited the most potent anti-viral activities with 50% effective concentration values of 3.69 and 2.18 μM, respectively. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis of NPro and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) assays revealed that 12 and 16 target N-terminal domain (NTD) of NPro by binding to Tyr109. This work found two potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 bioactive compounds and also indicated that SARS-CoV-2 NPro-NTD can be a target for new anti-virus agents., Graphical abstract Image 1

TRIMCyp generated by retrotransposition of a cyclophilin A inserting into TRIM5 locus, has been identified in owl monkey and most of Old World monkeys (OWM). Owl monkey TRIMCyp (omTRIMCyp) inhibits HIV-1 infection by direct interaction with viral capsid and indirect innate immune induction, whereas most of TRIMCyps from OWM cannot inhibit HIV-1, and the impact of which on immunoregulation is largely unknown. Here we reported that omTRIMCyp induces NF-κB, AP-1 and IFN-β activation in a dose-dependent manner, while TRIMCyp from northern pig-tailed macaque (npmTRIMCyp) does not activate NF-κB and moderately enhances AP-1 and IFN-β activities. The Cyclophilin A (CypA) domain plays an important role in omTRIMCyp-mediated NF-κB activation, and RBCC domains have a synergetic effect. We further indicated the mechanism by which npmTRIMCyp unable to activate NF-κB is that npmTRIMCyp hardly phosphorylates IκBα, different from omTRIMCyp which dramatically induces IκBα phosphorylation. Ubiquitination activity of omTRIMCyp was greater than npmTRIMCyp, although both could be ubiquitylated. Given that npmTRIMCyp neither interacts with viral capsid resulting in susceptibility to HIV-1 infection, nor activates NF-κB that is indispensable to HIV-1 provirus transcription, we proposed a model that npmTRIMCyp may play an important role in HIV-1 infected northern pig-tailed macaque with latency.

A novel tetrahydrofuran derivative, trigonohowine (1), together with five known tetrahydrofuran derivatives (2–6), were isolated from the stems and leaves of Trigonostemon howii. The structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and the known compounds were identified by comparisons with the data reported in literature. Among them, trigonohowine (1) represents the first example of a new type of tetrahydrofuran derivative, possessing an unprecedented carbon skeleton containing 23 carbon atoms on the carbon skeleton and the known compouds (2–6) are rare tetrahydrofuran derivatives in the plant kingdom with various carbon skeletons. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-HIV-1 activities. Compounds 1–6 showed significant anti-HIV-1 activities with EC50 ranged from 0.08 to 1.03 µM. These findings suggest that the discoveries of these tetrahydrofuran derivatives with significant anti-HIV-1 activities isolated from T. howii could be of great importance to the development of new anti-HIV agents.

Background The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has always been a global health threat and leading cause of deaths. However, due to the emergence of drug-resistant HIV, an inevitable consequence of increasing use of antiretroviral drugs posed a major threat to antiretroviral therapy success. Objective The discovery of anti-HIV-1 agents will be used for the effective treatment of HIV/AIDS. Method In continuation of our program aimed to discover anti-HIV-1 agents, twelve matrine derivatives, such as 14-formyl-15-aryloxy/methoxymatrines (3a-j) and 14-aryloxymethylidenylmatrines (3k,l), were semi-prepared from matrine, and evaluated against HIV-1 IIIB replication in acutely infected C8166 cells in vitro. Results Among them, compound 3j showed the most potent anti-HIV-1 activity with EC50 and therapeutic index (TI) values of 1.79 µg/mL, and 98.2, respectively. Conclusion It has been demonstrated that the positions of methyl on the phenyl ring and 14- formylmatrine-15-oxy on the naphthyl ring were very important for the activity. It will lay the foundation for further structural modification and application of matrines as HIV-1 inhibitors.

Viral reservoirs of HIV-1 are a major obstacle for curing AIDS. The novel animal models that can be directly infected with HIV-1 will contribute to develop effective strategies for eradicating infections. Here, we inoculated 4 northern pig-tailed macaques (NPM) with the HIV-1 strain HIV-1NL4.3 and monitored the infection for approximately 3 years (150 weeks). The HIV-1-infected NPMs showed transient viremia for about 10 weeks after infection. However, cell-associated proviral DNA and viral RNA persisted in the peripheral blood and lymphoid organs for about 3 years. Moreover, replication-competent HIV-1 could be successfully recovered from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) during long-term infection. The numbers of resting CD4+ T cells in HIV-1 infected NPMs harboring proviruses fell within a range of 2- to 3-log10 per million cells, and these proviruses could be reactivated both ex vivo and in vivo in response to co-stimulation with the latency-reversing agents JQ1 and prostratin. Our results suggested that NPMs can be infected with HIV-1 and a long-term viral reservoir was formed in NPMs, which might serve as a potential model for HIV-1 reservoir research.

Background: Although a number of agents can achieve high response in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, safer and more active HIV inhibitors are still needed for the growing number of patients infected with resistant HIV virus strains. GW678248 is one of the most potent benzophenone derivatives, exhibiting high potency against a panel of HIV- 1 virus (wild-type, K103N mutant, Y181C, etc.) at 1 nmol/L concentrations. However, the safety issues associated with rash and liver metabolic enzymes ultimately led to discontinue its further deve-lopment. As a continuation of our structural modifications on this template, in this manuscript, a new series of benzophenones are described as potential HIV inhibitors. Methods: All the title molecules were synthesized according to the routes in Scheme 1 and Scheme 2, and were tested for anti-HIV-1 activity using the MTT method. In the molecular simulation, the docking program of AutoDock 4.0.1 in parallel with the default parameters were used. Results: A series of novel benzophenone derivatives (BPs) with nanomolar anti-HIV-1 activity were identified. Of these inhibitors, analogue 10i (EC50 = 2.9 nmol/L), the most active inhibitor, was comparable to the lead compound GW678248 in inhibiting the wild-type HIV-1 virus. Additionally, analogue 13b, which not only exhibited strong inhibitory activity against the HIV-1 virus (EC50 = 4.2 nmol/L), but also has very low cytotoxicity with a TI value of more than 219178.1 was also discovered. Conclusion: This study led to the identification of a series of benzophenone derivatives with nanomolar level of anti-HIV-1 activity. Analogues 10i and 13b, with low cytotoxicity along with high activity are worthy of further development.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can effectively suppress human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication and limit the disease progression. However, ART is unable to eradicate the virus, and the requirement for lifelong treatment may have side effects and poses a risk of the development of resistance. New approaches to prevent and treat HIV-1 infection should therefore be developed. HIV-1 capsid (CA) protein is an unexploited but attractive target for antiviral drug development. The hydrophobic cavity of C-terminal domain of CA (CA CTD) has been validated as a potential target for antiviral drugs. Binding of compounds to this conserved nonpolar groove in CA CTD allosterically disrupts the CA assembly. In the study described here, we screened 2,080 natural products to identify potential antiviral agents for further development to combat HIV-1 infection. From the primary screen at a fixed concentration of 50 µM, 16 compounds were found to be effective against this target. Then, 6 compounds observed in the primary screen were confirmed in dose-response experiments. Finally, the 6 selected compounds were tested against HIV-1-induced cytopathic effects. Two compounds showed inhibitory effect on HIV-1 replication, and the most active one, rubranol, inhibited viral replication at a moderate micromolar concentration (EC50 = 15.85 μM). The binding mode of rubranol and hirsutanonol to CA CTD were analyzed by molecular docking respectively, providing insight for design of drug targeting HIV-1 capsid. The research reports, for the first time, identification of natural products that showed potential as anti-HIV-1 agents by targeting conserved hydrophobic cavity of HIV-1 CA CTD.

The present study aims to develop Chitosan-based polymeric nanoparticles of anti-HIV drug Dolutegravir, to aid appropriate dose adjustment and ease of oral administration as milk and food admixture for children. The isolated Chitosan from the crab shell species Portunus Sanguinolentus has been characterized for their physicochemical properties. Nanoparticles were developed with varying ratio of drug: Chitosan and assessed for particle size (140-548 nm), zeta potential (+26.1 mV) with a maximum of 75 % drug content. Nanoparticles exhibited improved stability and drug release in the 0.1 N HCl medium compared to pure drug. The MTT assay and the Syncytia inhibition assay in C8166 (T-lymphatic cell line) infected with HIVIIIB viral strain, which showed better therapeutic efficiency and lesser cytotoxicity compared to the pure drug. In consonance with the data obtained, the use of chitosan from a novel source for drug delivery carrier has opened exceptional prospects for delivering drugs efficiently to paediatrics.

Botrytis cinerea can cause grey mould and seriously affect the commercial value of grapes. An artificial inoculation trial was done using table grape ‘Red Globe’ (Vitis vinifera L.). Grape berries were treated either with ultrapure water or 600, 400, 200 times dilution of wood vinegar (WV), followed by inoculation with B. cinerea suspension after 24 h. Disease incidence (DI), disease severity (DS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide content and activities of peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, polyphenol oxidase, chitinase, and β-1,3-glucanase were determined every two days during B. cinerea infection. Compared with the positive control group, WV treatment significantly reduced the DI and DS of grapes infected with grey mould. WV significantly decreased the amount of hydrogen peroxide and MDA and promoted the accumulation and expression of antioxidant enzyme in grapes. These results suggested the efficacy of WV treatment in improving the resistance of ‘Red Globe’ grapes to grey mould and in mitigating harm caused by oxidative stress.

HIV-1-infected macrophages are long-lived and act as human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) virus reservoirs. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been demonstrated to suppress HIV-1 replication in macrophages, but the mechanism is not clear. Previous research suggested that downregulation of CD4 and CCR5 as well as blockage of the interaction of HIV-1 with cells are major causes of inhibition of HIV-1 replication in macrophages by LPS. In order to study whether LPS blocks the post-entry event of HIV-1 replication, we developed a macrophage HIV-1 infection model by using VSV-G pseudotyped HIV-1-luciferase virus to infect THP-1 differentiated macrophage-like cells. We found that LPS can suppress HIV-1 replication at post-entry steps. Further study suggested that HIV-1 reverse transcription was blocked by LPS, but addition of exogenous deoxyribonucleosides led to only partial recovery of HIV-1 replication. However, the inhibition of pro-inflammatory pathway completely rescued HIV-1 replication. Thus, our study shows that LPS can suppress the events of HIV-1 replication post-entry, including reverse transcription, and this restriction is mediated by more than one mechanism.

As our ongoing work on research of gelatinase inhibitors, an array of hydrazide-containing peptidomimetic derivatives bearing quinoxalinone as well as spiro-heterocyclic backbones were designed, synthesized, and assayed for their in vitro enzymatic inhibitory effects. The results demonstrated that both the quinoxalinone (series I and II) and 1,4-dithia-7-azaspiro[4,4]nonane-based hydrazide peptidomimetics (series III) displayed remarkably selectivity towards gelatinase A as compared to APN, with IC50 values in the micromole range. Structure-activity relationships were herein briefly discussed. Given evidences have validated that gelatinase inhibition may be contributable to the therapy of HIV-1 infection, all the target compounds were also submitted to the preliminary in vitro anti-HIV-1 evaluation. It resulted that gelatinase inhibition really has positive correlation with anti-HIV-1 activity, especially compounds 4m and 7h, which gave enhanced gelatinase inhibition in comparison with the positive control LY52, and also decent anti-HIV-1 potencies. The FlexX docking results provided a straightforward insight into the binding pattern between inhibitors and gelatinase, as well as the selective inhibition towards gelatinase over APN. Collectively, our research encouraged potent gelatinase inhibitors might be used in the development of anti-HIV-1 agents. And else, compounds 4m and 7h might be promising candidates to be considered for further chemical optimization.

This study aimed to optimize synthesis of gold catalyst supported on nanosized iron oxide and to evaluate the activity in oxidation of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Nanosized iron oxide was prepared from a colloidal dispersion of hydrous iron oxide through a dispersion–precipitation method. Gold was adsorbed onto nanosized iron oxide under self-generated basic conditions. Characterization results indicate that the iron oxide consisted of hematite/maghemite composite with primary particle sizes of 6–8 nm. Gold was highly dispersed on the surface of the support. The catalysts showed good activity in the oxidation of airborne carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. The optimal pH for their synthesis was ∼7. The catalytic performance could be enhanced by extending the adsorption time of gold species on the support within 21 h. The optimized catalyst was capable of achieving complete oxidation of 1% carbon monoxide at −20 °C and 33% conversion of 450 ppm formaldehyde at ambient temperature. The catalyst may be applicable to indoor air purification.

Highly functionalized fluorenones were synthesized by an intramolecular cyclization of 2''-halo-[1,1':3',1''-terphenyl]-4'-carbonitriles in the presence of n-butyllithium or lithium aluminium hydride. The precursor was synthesized by ring transformation of 2-oxo-6-aryl/heteroaryl-4-(sec.amino)-2H-pyran-3-carbonitriles or 2-oxobenzo[h]chromenes with o-bromo/chloro/fluoro-acetophenone under basic conditions in moderate yield. We performed the control experiment to understand the proposed mechanism and found that the presence of a secondary amine in the starting material directs the reactivity. The photophysical properties of 3-methoxy-7-(piperidin-1-yl)-5H-indeno[2,1-b]phenanthren-8(6H)-one was explored and solvent dependent emission was observed. These compounds were also tested against HIV-1 and low to moderate activity was observed.

CC-chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is an attractive target for preventing the entry of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) into human host cells. Maraviroc is the only CCR5 antagonist, and it was marketed in 2007. To overcome the shortcomings of maraviroc, structure-based drug design was performed to minimize CYP450 inhibition and to enhance anti-HIV potency and bioavailability. Thirty-four novel 1-heteroaryl-1,3-propanediamine derivatives (1-34) were synthesized, displaying CCR5-antagonist activities in the 2.3-296.4 nM range. Among these, compounds 21 and 34 were the most potent CCR5 antagonists, with excellent in vitro anti-HIV-1 activity, low cytotoxicity, and an acceptable pharmacokinetic profile. Furthermore, the X-ray crystal structures of compounds 21 and 34 bound to CCR5 were determined at 2.8 Å resolution. Compound 34 exhibited no CYP450-inhibition activity at 25 μM, which overcomes the potential drug-drug interaction of maraviroc. Compound 34 represents a promising drug candidate for HIV-infection treatment.

Viral infectivity factor (Vif) is one of the accessory protein of human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) that inhibits host defense factor, APOBEC3G (A3G), mediated viral cDNA hypermutations. Previous work developed a novel Vif inhibitor 2-amino-N-(2-methoxyphenyl)-6-((4-nitrophenyl)thio)benzamide (1) with strong antiviral activity. Through optimizations on the two side branches, a series of compound 1 derivatives (2–18) were designed, synthesized and tested in vitro for their antiviral activities. The biological results showed that compound 5 and 16 inhibited the virus replication efficiently with EC50 values of 9.81 and 4.62 μM. Meanwhile, low cytotoxicities on H9 cells were observed for the generated compounds by the MTT assay. The structure–activity relationship of compound 1 was preliminarily clarified, which gave rise to the development of more potent Vif inhibitors.

In a previous study the small molecule SJP-L-5 that inhibits HIV replication, has been shown to block uncoating of the viral capsid. Continued study showed that SJP-L-5 might hinder HIV capsid uncoating by blocking the completion of reverse transcription. However, to date, the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Here, the effects of SJP-L-5 for reverse transcription were explored via quantitative PCR, DIG-labelled ELISA, fluorescent resonance energy transfer, and Southern blot assays. We also analyzed the resistance profile of this compound against reverse transcriptase. Our results show that SJP-L-5 preferentially inhibits PPT primed plus-strand DNA synthesis (EC50 = 13.4 ± 3.0 μM) over RNA primed minus-strand DNA synthesis (EC50 > 3,646 μM), resulting in formation of five segmented plus-strand DNA and loss of HIV DNA flap, suggesting failure of both nuclear import and integration. Moreover, resistance study evidenced that SJP-L-5 requires the amino acid residues Val108 and Tyr181 to exert an inhibitory effect. These results indicate SJP-L-5 as a new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that inhibits HIV-1 polypurine tract primed plus-strand DNA synthesis, initiating HIV-1 down-stream plus-strand DNA synthesis at multiple sites under drug pressure.

International audience; In the current study, twenty-two compounds based upon 3-hydroxy-3-(2-oxo-2-phenylethyl)indolin-2-one nucleus were designed, synthesized and in vitro evaluated for HIV-1 RT inhibition and anti-HIV-1 activity. Compounds 3d, 5c and 5e demonstrated encouraging potency against RT enzyme as well as HIV-1 in low micromolar to nanomolar concentration with good to excellent safety index. Structure activity relationship studies revealed that halogens such as bromo or chloro at 5th the position of oxindole ring remarkably enhanced the potency against RT. Moreover, methoxy or chloro groups at the ortho position of phenyl ring also significantly favored RT inhibition activity. Seven compounds (3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 5b, 5c and 5e) with better anti-HIV-1 potency were tested against the mutant HIV-1 K103N strain. The putative binding mode, as well as interaction patterns of the best active compound 5c with wild HIV-1 RT were studied via docking studies.

This study investigated anticancer, anti HIV-1, antimicrobial potentials and the phytochemical composition of the total methanol extract, petroleum ether (60-80°C) and dichloromethane fractions of Citrus volkameriana leaves. Anticancer activity was measured by a sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Syncytia formation assay was used to evaluate anti-HIV-1 potential and antimicrobial assay was performed according to Buwa and Van staden with some modifications. The results showed that petroleum ether fraction exerted growth inhibitory effect on melanoma cancer cell line (UACC62), it inhibited the syncytia formation of HIV-1 with EC50 of 17.4 μg mLG1 and also it inhibited the growth of Micrococcus luteus B-287 and Bacillus subtilis with Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) of 31.25 and 62.5 μg mLG1, respectively. While dichloromethane fraction inhibited the growth of Micrococcus luteus with MIC of 62.5 μg mLG1. Phytochemical investigation of petroleum ether fraction yielded six compounds, (1) α-amyrin, (2) β-sitosterol, (3) 5-O-demethylnobiletin, (4) 4', 5-dihydroxy-6, 7, 8, 3'-tetramethoxy flavone, (5) Tangeretin and (6) Nobiletin while five compounds were isolated from dichloromethane fraction including, (7) 4', 5-dihydroxy-3', 6, 7-trimethoxyflavone (cirsilineol), (8) luteolin 7-O-methyl ether, (9) Hesperitin, (10) 4'-hydroxy -5, 6, 7-trimethoxy flavone and (11) β-sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucoside. The compounds 7, 8 and 10 were isolated for the first time from Rutacea family. This study provides promising results for C. volkameriana leaves in treatment of tumors, microbes and HIV/AIDS-related opportunistic infections.

Searching for more safe and effective agents for HIV treatments is still an urgent topic worldwide. Based on our continuous modifications on the benzophenone derivatives as HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors, a new template bearing N-phenylbenzenesulfonamide (PBSA) structure was designed to enhance the interactions with HIV-1 RT. In this manuscript, a series of PBSA derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-HIV-1 activity. The preliminary test showed that these compounds were potent to inhibit wild-type HIV-1 with EC50 values ranging of 0.105–14.531 μmol/L. In particular, compound 13f not only has high anti-HIV-1 activity (0.108 μmol/L), but also possesses low toxicity with a TI value of 1816.6. Furthermore, the major interactions of the inhibitor 13f with HIV-1 RT were also investigated using the molecular modelling. Our discovered structure-activity relationships (SARs) of these analogues may serve as an important clue for further optimizations.

In this study, template method was applied to synthesize CdS hollow nanospheres via sonochemical method. The morphology, size of the nanospheres and crystal structure of the synthesized hollow CdS were characterized. The results showed that the hollow CdS nanospheres formed have pure cubic sphalerite structure and exhibit good monodispersity and size uniformity. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the decoloration of Rhodamine B (RhB), Methylene Blue (MB) and Methyl Orange (MO) aqueous solution under UV-vis light irradiation. The results indicated the hollow CdS had a good photocatalytic activity and show little selectivity of attack and are able to oxidize various organic pollutants. Moreover, the results of hydroxyl radical (•OH) detection using fluorescent probe method was in accordance with the RhB decolorization efficiency, which the •OH is likely to be the main active species responsible for dye degradation.

The APOBEC3 family is a series antiviral factors that inhibit the replication of many viruses, such as HIV-1 and HBV. Tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) possess great potential as an animal model for human diseases and therapeutic responses. However, the APOBEC3 family is unknown in tree shrews. Recent work has showed the presence of the APOBEC3 family in tree shrews. In this work, the cDNA sequences of five APOBEC3 members were identified in tree shrews, namely, tsAPOBEC3A, -3C, -3F, -3G and -3H. The results showed that their sequences encoded a zinc (Z)-coordinating-domain as a characteristic of APOBEC3 proteins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the tree shrew APOBEC3 (tsAPOBEC3) genes have occurred independently and that they are clustered with other mammalian APOBEC3 members. Transcript expression analysis indicated that tsAPOBEC3 genes are constitutively expressed, and high in immune-related tissues. tsAPOBEC3 gene expression was up-regulated in hepatocytes and PBMCs by IFN-α stimulation. Finally, tsAPOBEC3 proteins could edit both sides of DNA by inserting G→A and C→T hypermutations. Overall, the results suggest that the tsAPOBEC3 family could play a key role in defense immunity through distinct editing mechanisms. Our results provided insights into the genetic basis for the development of a tree shrew model for studying viral infection. Future studies will focus on deepening our understanding on the antiviral functions of these editing enzymes in tree shrew.

The crystal structure of viral infectivity factor (Vif) was reported recently, which makes it possible to design new inhibitors against Vif by structure-based drug design. Through analysis of the protein surface of Vif, the C2 pocket located in the N-terminal was found, which is suit for developing small molecular inhibitors. Then, in our article, fragment-based virtual screening (FBVS) was conducted and a series of fragments was obtained, among which, Zif-1 bearing indole scaffold and pyridine ring can form H-bonds with Tyr148 and Ile155. Subsequently, 19 derivatives of Zif-1 were synthesized. Through the immune-fluorescence staining and Western blot assays, Zif-15 shows potent activity in inhibiting Vif-mediated A3G degradation. Further docking experiment shows that Zif-15 form H-bond interactions with residues His139, Tyr148 and Ile155. Therefore, Zif-15 is a promising lead compound against Vif that can be used to treat AIDS.

This study deals with evaluation of anti–HIV–1 activity from Cordia myxa stems extracts and investigation of phytochemical content of the plant extracts. Dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol 80% extracts of Cordia myxa were tested for their anti–HIV–1 activity using the syncytia formation assay. All the extracts showed a weak anti–HIV–1 activity. Phytochemical analysis of the extracts proved the presence of the following phytochemicals, triterpenes in dichloromethane extract. Flavonoids and triterpenes in ethyl acetate extract. Carbohydrates, flavonoids, and triterpenes in methanol extract. This research work gave a brief note about main chemical constituents and anti–HIV–1–activity of Cordia myxa extracts.

Six new lignans (1-6), as well as five known ones (7-11) were isolated from the leaves and stems of Schisandra chinensis. The structures of 1-6 were established on the basis of spectroscopic methods including 1D-and 2D-NMR techniques and CD experiments. Compound 1 was the first example of naturally occurring N-containing lignans featuring a nicotinoyl group. All the new compounds were evaluated for their anti-HIV-1 activities and showed EC50 values in the range 17.89-138.23 mu g/mL.

Background Ricin is a type II ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) that potently inactivates eukaryotic ribosomes by removing a specific adenine residue at the conserved α-sarcin/ricin loop of 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Here, we try to increase the specificity of the enzymatically active ricin A chain (RTA) towards human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) by adding a loop with HIV protease recognition site to RTA. Methods HIV-specific RTA variants were constructed by inserting a peptide with HIV-protease recognition site either internally or at the C-terminal region of wild type RTA. Cleavability of variants by viral protease was tested in vitro and in HIV-infected cells. The production of viral p24 antigen and syncytium in the presence of C-terminal variants was measured to examine the anti-HIV activities of the variants. Results C-terminal RTA variants were specifically cleaved by HIV-1 protease both in vitro and in HIV-infected cells. Upon proteolysis, the processed variants showed enhanced antiviral effect with low cytotoxicity towards uninfected cells. Conclusions RTA variants with HIV protease recognition sequence engineered at the C-terminus were cleaved and the products mediated specific inhibitory effect towards HIV replication. General significance Current cocktail treatment of HIV infection fails to eradicate the virus from patients. Here we illustrate the feasibility of targeting an RIP towards HIV-infected cells by incorporation of HIV protease cleavage sequence. This approach may be generalized to other RIPs and is promising in drug design for combating HIV.

Viral infectivity factor (Vif) is protective against APOBEC3G (A3G)-mediated viral cDNA hypermutations, and development of molecules that inhibit Vif mediated A3G degradation is a novel strategy for blocking HIV-1 replication. Through optimizations of the central ring of N-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-((4-nitrophenyl)thio)benzamide (RN-18), we found a potent compound 12c with EC50 value of 1.54 μM, enhancing the antiviral activity more than 150-fold compared with RN-18 in nonpermissive H9 cells. 12c protected A3G from degradation by inhibiting Vif function. Besides, 12c suppressed different HIV-1 clinical strains (HIV-1KM018, HIV-1TC-1 and HIV-1WAN) and drug-resistant strains (NRTI, NNRTI, PI, and FI) with relatively high activities. Amidation of 12c with glycine gave a prodrug 13a, improving the water solubility about 2600-fold compared with 12c. Moreover, 13a inhibited the virus replication efficiently with an EC50 value of 0.228 μM. These results suggested that the prodrug 13a is a promising candidate agent for the treatment of AIDS.

Objective: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first identified in the Western world in 1981. Since then, AIDS has been increasingly wide spreading, its rapid worldwide dissemination brought about by modern mass tourism. Isatin (1 H-indole-2, 3-Dione), an endogenous compound identified in many organisms, shows a wide range of biological activities. In view of the above details, we wish to report the synthesis and evaluation of novel isatin analogs, as promising anti-human immunodeficiency (HIV) agents.Methods: A series of novel isatin analogs (3a-3p) were synthesized, and their chemical structures were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance:1H, 13C, ESI-MS spectral data, and CHNS.Results: The compounds were evaluated as inhibitors of HIV type-1 in MT-4 cell cultures. Of these sixteen compounds, only 5 compounds showed potent anti-HIV activity.Conclusion: Evaluation of compound properties in silico showed that they possess significant drug-like characteristics.

Fucosylated glycosaminoglycan (FG) is a novel glycosaminoglycan with a chondroitin sulfate-like backbone and fucose sulfate branches. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanism and structure-activity relationships (SAR) of FG for combating HIV-1 infection.Anti-HIV activities of FGs were assessed by a cytopathic effect assay and an HIV-1 p24 detection assay. The biomolecule interactions were explored via biolayer interferometry technology. The SAR was established by comparing its anti-HIV-1 activities, conserved CD4 induced (CD4i) epitope-dependent interactions and anticoagulant activities.FG efficiently and selectively inhibited the X4- and R5X4-tropic HIV-1 infections in C8166 cells with little cytotoxicity against C8166 cells and PBMCs. Our data indicated that FG bound to gp120 with nanomolar affinity and may interact with CD4i of gp120. Additionally, the CD4i binding affinity of FG was higher than that of dextran sulfate. SAR studies suggested that the unique sulfated fucose branches account for the anti-HIV-1 activity. The molecular size and present carboxyl groups of FG may also play important roles in various activities. Notably, several FG derivatives showed higher anti-HIV-1 activities and much lower anticoagulant activities than those of heparin.FG exhibits strong activity against X4- and R5X4-tropic HIV-1 infections. The mechanism may be related to targeting CD4i of gp120, which results in inhibition of HIV-1 entry. The carboxyl group substituted derivatives of FG (8.5-12.8kDa), might display high anti-HIV-1 activity and low anticoagulant activity.Our data supports further the investigation of FG derivatives as novel HIV-1 entry inhibitors targeting CD4i.

An airtight gas electrical plasma reactor was designed with subsequent reaction column to estimate performance of this treatment operating in continuous mode for the remediation of wastewater contaminated by organic dye. It was found that subsequent reaction column contributed great for final dye removal because generated ozone was sufficiently utilized in this system and decolorization behaviors in continuous processes were fitted well with first-order kinetic model.And operating under the conditions of input voltage 45kV, gas flow rate 40 L/h, virgin liquid conductivity and unmodified initial pH, the decolorization efficiencies were, at liquid flow rate of 1.5 L/h, 99.7% for 10 mg/L, 99.5% for 20 mg/L, 97.3% for 30 mg/L and 96.7% for 40 mg/L.

Six new lignans, schisphenlignans F-K (1-6), together with ten known ones, were isolated from the leaves and stems of Schisandra sphenanthera. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods, including extensive NMR, MS and CD spectra. In addition, some compounds were tested for their acute activity on insulin sensitivity in 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes and anti-HIV-1 activity. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A series of N -phenylarylformamide derivatives (PAFAs) with anti-wild-type HIV-1 activity (EC 50 values) ranging from 0.3 nM to 5.1 nM and therapeutic index (TI) ranging from 10 616 to 271 000 were identified as novel non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Among them, compound 13g (EC 50 = 0.30 nM, TI = 184 578), 13l (EC 50 = 0.37 nM, TI = 212 819), 13m (EC 50 = 0.32 nM, TI = 260 617) and 13r (EC 50 = 0.27 nM, TI = 271 000) displayed the highest activity against this type virus nearly as potent as lead compound GW678248. Moreover, all of them were also active to inhibit the double mutant strain A 17 (K103N + Y181C) with EC 50 values of 0.29 μM, 0.14 μM, 0.10 μM and 0.27 μM, respectively. In particular, compound 13m , which showed broad-spectrum anti-HIV activity, was also effective to inhibit the HIV-2 ROD replication within 4.37 μM concentration.