A novel antiviral formulation inhibits a range of enveloped viruses

Fletcher, N. F. et al. (2020) A novel antiviral formulation inhibits a range of enveloped viruses. Journal of General Virology, 101(10), pp. 1090-1102. (doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.001472) (PMID:32692647)

Abstract

Some free fatty acids derived from milk and vegetable oils are known to have potent antiviral and antibacterial properties. However, therapeutic applications of short- to medium-chain fatty acids are limited by physical characteristics such as immiscibility in aqueous solutions. We evaluated a novel proprietary formulation based on an emulsion of short-chain caprylic acid, ViroSAL, for its ability to inhibit a range of viral infections in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, ViroSAL inhibited the enveloped viruses Epstein–Barr, measles, herpes simplex, Zika and orf parapoxvirus, together with Ebola, Lassa, vesicular stomatitis and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1) pseudoviruses, in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Evaluation of the components of ViroSAL revealed that caprylic acid was the main antiviral component; however, the ViroSAL formulation significantly inhibited viral entry compared with caprylic acid alone. In vivo, ViroSAL significantly inhibited Zika and Semliki Forest virus replication in mice following the inoculation of these viruses into mosquito bite sites. In agreement with studies investigating other free fatty acids, ViroSAL had no effect on norovirus, a non-enveloped virus, indicating that its mechanism of action may be surfactant disruption of the viral envelope. We have identified a novel antiviral formulation that is of great interest for the prevention and/or treatment of a broad range of enveloped viruses, particularly those of the skin and mucosal surfaces.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Thomas O’Hanlon scholarship for veterinary medicine (N. F.), University College Dublin, Ireland. Westgate Biomedical Ltd provided a stipend to support a research visit by N. F. to the University of Birmingham. D. B. is supported by a UK MRC New Investigator Research Grant (MR/P021735/1).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bryden, Dr Steven and Pingen, Dr Marieke and Lefteri, Dr Daniella
• Authors: Fletcher, N. F., Meredith, L. W., Tidswell, E. L., Bryden, S. R., Gonçalves-Carneiro, D., Chaudhry, Y., Shannon-Lowe, C., Folan, M. A., Lefteri, D. A., Pingen, M., Bailey, D., McKimmie, C. S., and Baird, A. W.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
• Journal Name: Journal of General Virology
• Publisher: Microbiology Society
• ISSN: 0022-1317
• ISSN (Online): 1465-2099
• Published Online: 21 July 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Journal of General Virology 101(10): 1090-1102
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy