Novel broad spectrum virucidal molecules against enveloped viruses

Cagno, Valeria; Tintori, Cristina; Civra, Andrea; Cavalli, Roberta; Tiberi, Marika; Botta, Lorenzo; Brai, Annalaura; Poli, Giulio; Tapparel, Caroline; Lembo, David; Botta, Maurizio

Viral infections are an important cause of death worldwide. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of antiviral drugs or vaccines for a large number of viruses, and this represents a remarkable challenge particularly for emerging and re-emerging viruses. For this reason, the identification of broad spectrum antiviral compounds provides a valuable opportunity for developing efficient antiviral therapies. Here we report on a class of rhodanine and thiobarbituric derivatives displaying a broad spectrum antiviral activity against seven different enveloped viruses including an HSV-2 acyclovir resistant strain with favorable selectivity indexes. Due to their selective action on enveloped viruses and to their lipid oxidation ability, we hypothesize a mechanism on the viral envelope that affects the fluidity of the lipid bilayer, thus compromising the efficiency of virus-cell fusion and preventing viral entry.