Halting the Spread of Herpes Simplex Virus-1: The Discovery of an Effective Dual αvβ6/αvβ8 Integrin Ligand.

ABSTRACT: Over recent years, αvβ6 and αvβ8 Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) integrins have risen to prominence as interchangeable co-receptors for the cellular entry of herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1). In fact, the employment of subtype-specific integrin-neutralizing antibodies or gene-silencing siRNAs has emerged as a valuable strategy for impairing HSV infectivity. Here, we shift the focus to a more affordable pharmaceutical approach based on small RGD-containing cyclic pentapeptides. Starting from our recently developed αvβ6-preferential peptide [RGD-Chg-E]-CONH₂ (1), a small library of N-methylated derivatives (2-6) was indeed synthesized in the attempt to increase its affinity toward αvβ8. Among the novel compounds, [RGD-Chg-(NMe)E]-CONH₂ (6) turned out

SUBMITTER: Tomassi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8279406 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature