Anti-Herpes Effect of Hemocyanin Derived from the Mollusk Rapana thomasiana

Abstract

The cytotoxicity and the antivirus activity of native hemocyanin, RtH, derived from the Bulgarian marine mollusk Rapana thomasiana and its structural isoform, RtH2, against HSV replication was evaluated on three HSV strains Ð two wt strains, TM (HSV 1) and Bja (HSV 2), and one ACV R mutant with tk gene mutation, DD (HSV 2). The experiments were performed on continuous RD 64 cells and three HSV 1 and HSV 2 strains were used, two mutants sensitive to acyclovir and one resistant mutant.Both compounds were found to be effective inhibitors of wt HSV replication. Both compounds did not exhibit any effect on the infectious virus yield on ACV R mutant. The most promising, active and selective, anti-HSV agent, especially to genital herpes virus, was found to be the functional unit of native hemocyanin Ð RtH2. RtH2 did not induce apoptosis/ necrosis 8 h after virus infection and the target of its action, was found to be the viral but not the host cell DNA.

Antifungal and antiviral products of marine organisms

“…RtH2 did not induce apoptosis/necrosis 8 h after viral infection. The viral DNA but not the host cell DNA was the target of its action (Genova-Kalou et al 2008). …”

Marine Snails and Slugs: a Great Place To Look for Antiviral Drugs

“…These observations were extended to include Rapana venosa activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 (39). Hemocyanin of the land snail Helix lucorum also has activity against EBV (44).…”

“…To date, most characterized extracts from mollusc species with in vitro antiviral activity have been peptides or glycopeptides, for example, kelletinin A from Buccinulum corneum (40), glycosylated functional unit RtH2 of hemocyanin from Rapana venosa (27,32,39), mytilin and defensin from Mytilus galloprovincialis (29,38), and lectin from Crenomytilus grayanus (37). Their modes of action are not fully characterized; however, they appear to include direct inactivation of virus and prevention of viral attachment to or entry into host cells or inhibition of viral transcription and DNA or RNA synthesis (Table 1).…”

Marine Mollusks: Food with Benefits

“…A scarce number of reports deal with molluscan natural products’ effectivity against their peculiar viral infections, but, on the other hand, a large number of human viral pathogens have been found susceptible to molluscan metabolites reflecting a lack of tailored antiviral response in their innate immune system (Dang et al., ). Secondary metabolites isolated from no less than eight gastropods ( Haliotis laevigata , Haliotis rubra , Haliotis rufescens , Littorina littorea , Buccinulum corneum , Tegula gallina , Rapana venosa , and Buccinum undatum ) (Table ), and nine bivalves ( Mercenaria mercenaria , Mya arenaria , R. philippinarum , Cerastoderma edule , Mytilus galloprovincialis , Crenomytilus grayanus , Crassostrea virginica , Crassostrea gigas , and Ostrea edulis ) (Table ) have been described as potent against many, generally human, viruses (Dang, Benkendorff, & Speck, ; Dang, Speck, Doroudi, Smith, & Benkendorff, ; Defer, Bourgougnon, & Fleury, , ; Dolashka et al., ; Dolashka‐Angelova et al., ; Dupuy, Bonami, & Roch, ; Genova‐Kalou et al., ; Li, ; Li & Traxler, ; Li et al., ; Li, Prescott, & Jahnes, ; Luk'yanov et al., ; Marderosian, ; Olicard, Didier, Marty, Bourgougnon, & Renault, ; Olicard, Renault, Torhy, Benmansour, & Bourgougnon, ; Prescott, Li, Caldes, & Martino, ; Roch, Beschin, & Bernard, ; Roch, Yang, Toubiana, & Aumelas, ; Silvestri et al., ). An extraordinarily large number (roughly 100,000 species) of mollusks, hence, remains untested for potential antiviral efficacy (Dang et al., ).…”