Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives

Kyungah Yoon

2 Articles

Antiviral Activity of Itraconazole against Echovirus 30 Infection In Vitro: Jae-Sug Lee, Hwa-Jung Choi, Jae-Hyoung Song, Hyun-Jeong Ko, Kyungah Yoon, Jeong-Min Seong; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2017;8(5):318-324. Published online October 31, 2017; DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2017.8.5.05

Abstract PDF: Objectives
Echovirus 30 is a major cause of meningitis in children and adults. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the antifungal drug itraconazole could exhibit antiviral activity against echovirus 30.
Methods
The cytopathic effect and viral RNA levels were assessed in RD cells as indicators of viral replication. The effects of itraconazole were compared to those of two known antiviral drugs, rupintrivir and pleconaril. The time course and time-of-addition assays were used to approximate the time at which itraconazole exerts its activity in the viral cycle.
Results
Itraconazole and rupintrivir demonstrated the greatest potency against echovirus 30, demonstrating concentration-dependent activity, whereas pleconaril showed no antiviral activity. Itraconazole did not directly inactivate echovirus 30 particles or impede viral uptake into RD cells, but did affect the initial stages of echovirus 30 infection through interference with viral replication.
Conclusion
Itraconazole can be considered a lead candidate for the development of antiviral drugs against echovirus 30 that may be used during the early stages of echovirus 30 replication.

Complete Sequence Analysis and Antiviral Screening of Medicinal Plants for Human Coxsackievirus A16 Isolated in Korea: Jae-Hyoung Song, Kwisung Park, Aeri Shim, Bo-Eun Kwon, Jae-Hee Ahn, Young Jin Choi, Jae Kyung Kim, Sang-Gu Yeo, Kyungah Yoon, Hyun-Jeong Ko; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2015;6(1):52-58. Published online February 28, 2015; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrp.2014.12.004

Abstract PDF: Objectives
Coxsackievirus A group 16 strain (CVA16) is one of the predominant causative agents of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).
Methods
Using a specimen from a male patient with HFMD, we isolated and performed sequencing of the Korean CVA16 strain and compared it with a G10 reference strain. Also, we were investigated the effects of medicinal plant extract on the cytopathic effects (CPE) by CPE reduction assay against Korean CVA16.
Results
Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Korean CVA16 isolate belonged to cluster B-1 and was closely related to the strain PM-15765-00 isolated in Malaysia in 2000. The Korean CVA16 isolate showed 73.2% nucleotide identity to the G10 prototype strain and 98.7% nucleotide identity to PM-15765-00. Next, we assessed whether the Korean CVA16 isolate could be used for in vitro screening of antiviral agents to treat HFMD infection. Vero cells infected with the Korean CVA16 isolate showed a cytopathic effect 2 days after the infection, and the treatment of cells with Cornus officinalis, Acer triflorum, Pulsatilla koreana, and Clematis heracleifolia var. davidiana Hemsl extracts exhibited strong antiviral activity against CVA16.
Conclusion
Collectively, our work provides potential candidates for the development of vaccine and novel drugs to treat the CVA16 strain isolated from a Korean patient.

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