Computational Analysis of Amiloride Analogue Inhibitors of Coxsackievirus B3 RNA Polymerase

The multiple roles of viral 3Dpol protein in picornavirus infections

The Picornaviridae are a large group of positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses, and most research has focused on the Enterovirus genus, given they present a severe health risk to humans. Other picornaviruses, such as foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and senecavirus A (SVA), affect agricultural production with high animal mortality to cause huge economic losses. The 3Dpol protein of picornaviruses is widely known to be used for genome replication; however, a growing number of studies have demonstrated its non-polymerase roles, including modulation of host cell biological processes, viral replication complex assembly and localization, autophagy, and innate immune responses. Currently, there is no effective vaccine to control picornavirus diseases widely, and clinical therapeutic strategies have limited efficiency in combating infections. Many efforts have been made to develop different types of drugs to prohibit virus survival; the most important target for drug development is the virus polymerase, a necessary element for virus replication. For picornaviruses, there are also active efforts in targeted 3Dpol drug development. This paper reviews the interaction of 3Dpol proteins with the host and the progress of drug development targeting 3Dpol.

Antiviral effect of amiloride on replication of foot and mouth disease virus in cell culture

Recently, amiloride was shown to potently suppress Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) replication. In the current study, we investigated whether amiloride could also exhibit antiviral activity against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), which belongs to the same family (Picornaviridae) as CVB3. We found that amiloride exerted antiviral activity in a dose-dependent manner against two strains of FMDV in IBRS-2 cells, with slight cytotoxicity at 1000 μM. Besides, amiloride did not inhibit the attachment and entry of FMDV in IBRS-2 cells, but prevented early viral replication. These data implied that amiloride could be a promising candidate for further research as a potential antiviral drug against FMDV infection.