Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is
the major etiological agent of human non-A and non-B hepatitis
affecting about 180 million people worldwide. The goal of the current
study was to find effective anti-HCV proteins. As a result, defensins
were selected as promising candidates due to their well-known anti-viral
potential and small size. We conducted in vitro evaluation of
two kinds of defensins (human α- and β-defensins and synthetic linear
avian α-defensins) using tissue culture combined with reverse
transcription nested PCR (RT-nested-PCR) and real-time PCR. Human α- and
β-defensins showed strong anti-HCV activity in experiments on cellular
protection, neutralization, and treatment at all concentrations used
(10, 20 and 50 μg). The synthetic linear defensins could reach similar
anti-HCV potential only at a noticeably higher concentration (250 μg)
and do not show noticeable activity at 10 and 20 μg. This study suggests
that defensins are potent anti-HCV agents.
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