Affiliations: Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, D.I. Ivanovsky
Research Institute on Virology, USA | Dr. Rath Research Institute, 1260 Memorex Drive, Santa
Clara, CA 95050, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Aleksandra Niedzwiecki, 1260 Memorex
Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95050, USA. Tel.: +1 408 807 5564; Fax: +1 408 567 5030;
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Numerous outbreaks of avian influenza virus infection (A/H5N1) have
occurred recently, infecting domestic birds, chicken and ducks. The possibility
of the emergence of a new strain of influenza virus capable of causing a
pandemic in humans is high and no vaccine effective against such a strain
currently exists. A unique nutrient mixture (NM), containing lysine, proline,
ascorbic acid, green tea extract, N-acetyl cysteine, selenium among other micro
nutrients, has been shown to exert a wide range of biochemical and
pharmacological effects, including an inhibitory effect on replication of
influenza virus and HIV. This prompted us to investigate the potential
anti-viral activity of a nutrient mixture (NM) and its components on avian
influenza virus A/H5N1at viral dosages of 1.0, 0.1 and 0.01
TCID_{50}. Antiviral activity was studied in cultured cell
lines PK, BHK-21, and Vero-E6. Virus lysing activity was determined by
co-incubation of virus A/H5N1 with NM for 0–60 min, followed residual
virulence titration in cultured SPEV or BHK-21 cells. NM demonstrated high
antiviral activity evident even at prolonged periods after infection. NM
antiviral properties were comparable to those of conventional drugs (amantadine
and oseltamivir); however, NM had the advantage of affecting viral replication
at the late stages of the infection process.
