2023-05-07 14:44:51
herpes (shutterstock photo)
Scientists are making progress towards stopping recurrent herpes infections. A new study conducted in mice by a group of researchers from Chicago has identified an important key protein in viral re-infections. By targeting the protein with antiviral drugs, the chances of reinfection will decrease.
The heparinase protein is found in all our cells. In mice, the researchers blocked this protein and stopped its activity. Blocking the protein prevented clouding of the animals’ corneas after a second herpes simplex virus type 1 infection compared to mice whose heparinase protein was functioning normally.
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The reason is that the herpes infection activates the protein. This, in turn, alerts the immune system that there is an invader harming our health. While dealing with an infection, it can worsen symptoms during a second infection. Moreover, with paranase dysfunction, viruses are more likely to cause severe disease in people with a previous infection with a particular virus. This may increase the risk of developing complications such as ulcerative diseases and blindness in the case of HSV-1.
Looking at herpes, one hypothesis the team had for preventing re-infection was stopping the heparinase protein in the first place.
“We wanted to know if we could better protect them from infection, and we found that we could,” explains Chandrasekhar D. Patil, a visiting researcher in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and lead author of the study.
The findings may also be extended to other infectious diseases. Understanding the mechanics of re-infection can provide further clues as to why some people are prone to re-infection. Previous research has found a link between the heparanase protein and re-infections of COVID-19.
The next step in the research, published in the journal Science Advances, is to figure out which antiviral drug works best in inhibiting the heparanase protein. However, scientists are already calling this discovery a breakthrough in the fight against the herpes simplex virus. About 3.7 billion people worldwide under the age of 50 suffer from oral herpes.
“This could be the miracle drug down the road,” says Deepak Shukla, professor of aging eye research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “We could be talking about a broad-spectrum antiviral drug.”
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