ANTIVIRAL DRUGS

INTRODUCTION

About 69 percent illness is due to viruses. The conventional approach is to develop

efective vaccines. Sofar only around 16 anti viral drugs for animals and human. Their
uses in Veterinary practice arequestionable, because of diference in virus and virus
induced replication.

Virus:

Obligate intracellular parasites, need host genetic machinery for replication, narrow
therapeuticindex, lack enzymes that function in energy metabolism.

Protein synthesis and cell dependant replication. Hence they multiply only within the
cells.

Animal viruses may be single stranded or double stranded RNA or DNA viruses

DNA :PoxHerpesAdenoHepadnaPapillomaParvoRubellaRhabdo virus (Rabies)

RNA:PicornoOrthomyxoParamyxoParainfuenzaCorona

REASON FOR FAILURE OF ANTIVIRAL THERAPY

Drugs that target viral process must penetrate the host cell.

Lack of broad spectrum antiviral drugs

Lack of in vitro susceptibility testing procedures

Narrow spectrum. Drugs target specifc enzymes

Polymerase transcriptase involved in viral nucleic acidsynthesis. Hence development of

resistance is easier ( point mutation –

substitution of single importantnucleic acid )

Inhibits only actively replicating virus, unable to eliminate non replicating/latent viral
infection

Mostly virustatic, hence success depends on hosts immune response

The most successful use of antiviral drugs is synthetic nucleosides that either inhibit
DNA/RNA polymeraseor act as chain terminators after incorporation into nucleic acid
They are efective prophylactically and in early stage. Rapid and early diagnosis is
important.

VIRAL REPLICATION

RNA virus: direct, need virion enzyme (viral RNA polymerase) to synthesize mRNA or
viral RNA serve asmRNA

DNA virus:

indirect, viral DNA transcribed to host mRNA by host cell RNA polymerase

Retro virus

unique, make a copy of DNA from viral RNA with the help of reverse transcriptase

DNA gets incorporated into host genome mRNA viral proteins

SPECIFIC ANTIVIRAL AGENTS

Agents preventing attachment and penetration: Immunoglobulin, Interferon

Agents preventing entry: Amantidine

Nucleoside analogues: Idoxuridine, Trifuridine (PYRIMIDINE) and Vidarabine (PURINE)

Inhibitor of reverse transcription: Zidovudine (AZT), Acyclovir, Gancyclovir, Ribavirin

Inhibitor of mRNA translation: Antisense oligopeptides

Maturation: Methisazone, 2`Diodyl-d-Glucose

Improving host resistance: Interferons, Gamma globulins

Improving host immunomodulation: Inosiplex, levamisole, Poly I, Poly C

AMATINIDE

Amantidine and its derivative Rimantidine are synthetic tricyclic amine

They lead to inhibition or delay of the uncoating process and also interfere with early
stage of viral mRNAtranscription

At usual concentration inhibit replication of diferent strains of Infuenza virus

It is used as chemo prophylactic agent

Almost completely absorbed from GIT and 90% is excreted unchanged in urine
It produces fever, side efects related to CNS. Aerosol administration reduces the toxicity

Veterinary uses: Prophylaxis in Equine Infuenza

IODXURIDINE, VIDARABINE AND TRIFLURIDINE

Potent inhibitors of DNA synthesis of Herpes virus . Inhibition takes place during
synthesis of DNA strand.These drugs are incorporated into the growing chain of viral
DNA, resulting in misinterpretation of geneticcode.

Inhibit DNA polymerase

Defective viral protein

Toxicity- Anemia, neutropenia, loss of hair etc.; Because of toxicity reserved for topical
application.

Idoxuridine, Trifuridine - analog of thymidine; Trifuridine is less toxic and better

penetration thanIdoxuridine

Vidarabine- analog of adenosine; Acts on Herpes, Pox, Rhabdo, Vaccinia viruses

Deaminated to Hypoxanthine arabinoside and 50% excreted in urine

Used for the treatment of Herpes simplex, Keratitis, Encephalitis, Mucocutaneous

infection andCytomegalo viral infection

Used with Acyclovir in Acyclovir resistant patients

Veterinary use: Feline herpes Keratitis, Bovine Vulvovaginitis and Kerato Conjunctivitis,
local herpesinfection

Vidarabine: Local bovine herpes, Vaccinia teat lesions.

ACYCLOVIR and GANCYCLOVIR

Synthetic acyclic purine nucleoside analogue of 2`deoxy guanosine. It is selective for

viral rather thannormal cells 56

Less cytotoxic, breakthrough in antiviral chemotherapy.

Acyclovir is not phosphorylated in normal cell because of lack of viral thymidine kinase,
non toxic touninfected cell.

Valacyclovir, Desiclovir are prodrugs developed because of 90% of acyclovir is excreted in

urine intact
Human - Herpes simplex 1 and 2, Varicella Zoster virus

chicken pox

Veterinary Use - Equine herpes in foals

Topical - Local herpes, Bovine herpes mammillitis, Equine coital exanthema, Feline
rhinotracheitis, ViralKerato conjunctivitis

Gancyclovir

Guanosine analog, more active against Cytomegalo herpes virus than Acyclovir in
immune compromisedpatients.

Administration through I/V.

Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia are adverse efects.

Veterinary use: Cytomegalovirus infection

RIBAVIRIN AND AZIDOTHYMIDINE/ZIDOVUDINE

Ribavirin

Guanosine analog

It is activated by viral phosphorylation and subsequently prevents the formation of

mRNA and translationof viral genome. Broad antiviral activity against many RNA & DNA
virus. Resistance is rare.

Aerosol- Respiratory syncytial virus broncholitis infuenza

Veterinary use: Infuenza, Parainfuenza, Bovine herpes virus, Canine distemper, Blue
tongue, Marek's,Feline calcivirus

Topical: Local herpes infection (not feline), Vaccinia teat lesions

Inhibitor of Reverse Transcription

Azidothymidine/Zidovudine

Suppress only active viral replication; already infected patients cannot be treated

Administration only through I/V

Toxicity- Granulocytopenia and Anemia

Veterinary Use: Retrovirus, FeLV, FIV, Equine infectious anemia (EIA)

In HIV patients - prolongs survival, decrease opportunistic infection, and increases the
immune function,decrease HIV antigens and RNA (when combined with Didanosine )

Inhibitors of mRNA translation

ANTISENSE Oligonucleotide

The sequence of a nucleotide chain containing information for protein synthesis is called
sense sequence.The complementary strand is antisense sequence.

Antisense drugs recognize and bind to sense sequence of specifc mRNA

Prevent synthesis of specifc proteins

Destruction of mRNA by ribonuclease in cell

Viral genome V mRNA sense strand mRNA drug

Inhibit viral mRNA translation

IMMUNIZATION AND INTERFERONS

Immunization

Passive immunization by im, iv or sc injection with Immunoglobulin can prevent entry of

virus into cells

The proteolytic efect lasts for several weeks but may not be complete. This is useful to
control CD,Rabies, TVT and Gastroenteritis in swine, Infectious hepatitis, Measles,
Poliomyelitis, Chicken pox. If hyper immune serum is not available pooled sera from the
recovered or vaccinated animals may be used. Toavoid anaphylactic shock only one
injection should be given.Interferons

These are cytokines or interrelated group of proteins released by cells infected by virus.
Interfrons(IFN)possess antiviral, immune-modulatory and antiproliferative efects. They
are highly species specifc. Threetypes are recognized

INF-α- Leucocytes

INF-β- Fibroblasts antiviral action in response to viral infection especially RNA virus

INF-Ý or lymphokines - Lymphocytes à antigen/mitogen stimulation, immuno modulation

They inhibit all the steps in viral multiplication. Bind to specifc cell surface receptors and
inhibit viralpenetration, uncoating, synthesis of mRNA, translation, assembly and release.
It can be administered s/c,i/m, i/v or locally. It is an important part of defense
mechanism.

IFN production by Tissue culture is costly

Bovine IFN α, γ produced by Genetic engineering

Interferons inducers/ Host modulators

Some fungal metabolites have this activity

Induce production of its own interferon

High molecular substances like Poly-I, Poly-C

a synthetic poly ribonucleotide also induce interferon

Partially efective in dogs against viral hepatitis

action of interferon