Antiviral and cytotoxic activity of netropsin derivatives in vero cells infected with vaccinia virus and herpes simplex virus type I

A study examined the antiviral activity of a series of new netropsin derivatives in Vero E6 cells infected with vaccinia virus and herpes simplex virus type I. Experiments were performed in Eagles growth medium (Research Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis, Moscow) supplemented with 5% fetal calf serum. The ability of compounds 15Lys-bis-Nt, Pt-bis-Nt, and Sarc-Nt to suppress infection caused by vaccinia virus in cultured cell was comparable with or higher than that of the well-known antiviral drugs ribavirin and vidarabine (Ara-A) (table). In contrast to herpes simplex virus type I, vaccinia virus replicates in the cytoplasm with the aid of viral proteins.