Macromolecular Antiviral Agents against Zika, Ebola, SARS, and Other Pathogenic Viruses

Abstract

Viral pathogens continue to constitute a heavy burden on healthcare and socioeconomic systems. Efforts to create antiviral drugs repeatedly lag behind the advent of pathogens and growing understanding is that broad-spectrum antiviral agents will make strongest impact in future antiviral efforts. This work performs selection of synthetic polymers as novel broadly active agents and demonstrates activity of these polymers against Zika, Ebola, Lassa, Lyssa, Rabies, Marburg, Ebola, influenza, herpes simplex, and human immunodeficiency viruses. Results presented herein offer structure–activity relationships for these pathogens in terms of their susceptibility to inhibition by polymers, and for polymers in terms of their anionic charge and hydrophobicity that make up broad-spectrum antiviral agents. The identified leads cannot be predicted based on prior data on polymer-based antivirals and represent promising candidates for further development as preventive microbicides.

Broad spectrum antiviral agents are designed through systematic variation of the polymer composition, specifically the nature of the anionic charge of the polymer and hydrophobicity of the backbone. Structure–function relationship reveals unexpected lead candidates with inhibitory antiviral activity against all tested enveloped viruses.

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