Abstract
Background:Persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic liver diseases and is a global health problem. Although new triple therapy (pegylated-interferon, ribavirin, and telaprevir/boceprevir) has recently been started and is expected to achieve a sustained virologic response of more than 70% in HCV genotype 1 patients, there are several problems to be resolved, including skin rash/ageusia and advanced anemia. Thus a new type of anti-HCV drug is still needed.Methodology/Principal Findings:Recently developed HCV drug assay systems using HCV-RNA-replicating cells (e.g., HuH-7-derived OR6 and Li23-derived ORL8) were used to evaluate the anti-HCV activity of drug candidates. During the course of the evaluation of anti-HCV candidates, we unexpectedly found that two preclinical antimalarial drugs (N-89 and its derivative N-251) showed potent anti-HCV activities at tens of nanomolar concentrations irrespective of the cell lines and HCV strains of genotype 1b. We confirmed that replication of authentic HCV-RNA was inhibited by these drugs. Interestingly, however, this anti-HCV activity did not work for JFH-1 strain of genotype 2a. We demonstrated that HCV-RNA-replicating cells were cured by treatment with only N-89. A comparative time course assay using N-89 and interferon-α demonstrated that N-89-treated ORL8 cells had more rapid anti-HCV kinetics than did interferon-α-treated cells. This anti-HCV activity was largely canceled by vitamin E. In combination with interferon-α and/or ribavirin, N-89 or N-251 exhibited a synergistic inhibitory effect.Conclusions/Significance:We found that the preclinical antimalarial drugs N-89 and N-251 exhibited very fast and potent anti-HCV activities using cell-based HCV-RNA-replication assay systems. N-89 and N-251 may be useful as a new type of anti-HCV reagents when used singly or in combination with interferon and/or ribavirin.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e72519 |
| Journal | PLoS One |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 30 2013 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Medicine(all)
Cite this
New Preclinical Antimalarial Drugs Potently Inhibit Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1b RNA Replication. / Ueda, Youki; Takeda, Midori; Mori, Kyoko; Dansako, Hiromichi; Wakita, Takaji; Kim, Hye-Sook; Sato, Akira; Wataya, Yusuke; Ikeda, Masanori; Kato, Nobuyuki.
In: PLoS One, Vol. 8, No. 8, e72519, 30.08.2013.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - New Preclinical Antimalarial Drugs Potently Inhibit Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1b RNA Replication
AU - Ueda, Youki
AU - Takeda, Midori
AU - Mori, Kyoko
AU - Dansako, Hiromichi
AU - Wakita, Takaji
AU - Kim, Hye-Sook
AU - Sato, Akira
AU - Wataya, Yusuke
AU - Ikeda, Masanori
AU - Kato, Nobuyuki
PY - 2013/8/30
Y1 - 2013/8/30
N2 - Background:Persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic liver diseases and is a global health problem. Although new triple therapy (pegylated-interferon, ribavirin, and telaprevir/boceprevir) has recently been started and is expected to achieve a sustained virologic response of more than 70% in HCV genotype 1 patients, there are several problems to be resolved, including skin rash/ageusia and advanced anemia. Thus a new type of anti-HCV drug is still needed.Methodology/Principal Findings:Recently developed HCV drug assay systems using HCV-RNA-replicating cells (e.g., HuH-7-derived OR6 and Li23-derived ORL8) were used to evaluate the anti-HCV activity of drug candidates. During the course of the evaluation of anti-HCV candidates, we unexpectedly found that two preclinical antimalarial drugs (N-89 and its derivative N-251) showed potent anti-HCV activities at tens of nanomolar concentrations irrespective of the cell lines and HCV strains of genotype 1b. We confirmed that replication of authentic HCV-RNA was inhibited by these drugs. Interestingly, however, this anti-HCV activity did not work for JFH-1 strain of genotype 2a. We demonstrated that HCV-RNA-replicating cells were cured by treatment with only N-89. A comparative time course assay using N-89 and interferon-α demonstrated that N-89-treated ORL8 cells had more rapid anti-HCV kinetics than did interferon-α-treated cells. This anti-HCV activity was largely canceled by vitamin E. In combination with interferon-α and/or ribavirin, N-89 or N-251 exhibited a synergistic inhibitory effect.Conclusions/Significance:We found that the preclinical antimalarial drugs N-89 and N-251 exhibited very fast and potent anti-HCV activities using cell-based HCV-RNA-replication assay systems. N-89 and N-251 may be useful as a new type of anti-HCV reagents when used singly or in combination with interferon and/or ribavirin.
AB - Background:Persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic liver diseases and is a global health problem. Although new triple therapy (pegylated-interferon, ribavirin, and telaprevir/boceprevir) has recently been started and is expected to achieve a sustained virologic response of more than 70% in HCV genotype 1 patients, there are several problems to be resolved, including skin rash/ageusia and advanced anemia. Thus a new type of anti-HCV drug is still needed.Methodology/Principal Findings:Recently developed HCV drug assay systems using HCV-RNA-replicating cells (e.g., HuH-7-derived OR6 and Li23-derived ORL8) were used to evaluate the anti-HCV activity of drug candidates. During the course of the evaluation of anti-HCV candidates, we unexpectedly found that two preclinical antimalarial drugs (N-89 and its derivative N-251) showed potent anti-HCV activities at tens of nanomolar concentrations irrespective of the cell lines and HCV strains of genotype 1b. We confirmed that replication of authentic HCV-RNA was inhibited by these drugs. Interestingly, however, this anti-HCV activity did not work for JFH-1 strain of genotype 2a. We demonstrated that HCV-RNA-replicating cells were cured by treatment with only N-89. A comparative time course assay using N-89 and interferon-α demonstrated that N-89-treated ORL8 cells had more rapid anti-HCV kinetics than did interferon-α-treated cells. This anti-HCV activity was largely canceled by vitamin E. In combination with interferon-α and/or ribavirin, N-89 or N-251 exhibited a synergistic inhibitory effect.Conclusions/Significance:We found that the preclinical antimalarial drugs N-89 and N-251 exhibited very fast and potent anti-HCV activities using cell-based HCV-RNA-replication assay systems. N-89 and N-251 may be useful as a new type of anti-HCV reagents when used singly or in combination with interferon and/or ribavirin.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883408971&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84883408971&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0072519
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0072519
M3 - Article
C2 - 24023620
AN - SCOPUS:84883408971
VL - 8
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 8
M1 - e72519
ER -