Characterisation of Antiviral Activity of Cathelicidins from Naked Mole Rat and <i>Python bivittatus</i> on Human Herpes Simplex Virus 1

• Main Authors: Alexia Damour, Magali Garcia, Hye-Sun Cho, Andy Larivière, Nicolas Lévêque, Chankyu Park, Charles Bodet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Pharmaceuticals
• Subjects: Hg-CATH; Pb-CATH4; herpes simplex virus I; keratinocytes; antiviral
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/8/715

Hg-CATH and Pb-CATH4 are cathelicidins from <i>Heterocephalus glaber</i> and <i>Python bivittatus</i> that have been previously identified as potent antibacterial peptides. However, their antiviral properties were not previously investigated. In this study, their activity against the herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 was evaluated during primary human keratinocyte infection. Both of them significantly reduced HSV-1 DNA replication and production of infectious viral particles in keratinocytes at noncytotoxic concentrations, with the stronger activity of Pb-CATH4. These peptides did not show direct virucidal activity and did not exhibit significant immunomodulatory properties, except for Pb-CATH4, which exerted a moderate proinflammatory action. All in all, our results suggest that Hg-CATH and Pb-CATH4 could be potent candidates for the development of new therapies against HSV-1.