Therapeutic agents or vaccines are currently available against human viruses. However, they can have side effects and can also develop drug resistance. The development of promising antiviral compounds of natural origin into safe drugs has become a hot topic of current research. A number of mushroom-derived compounds have been shown to have antiviral activity against DNA and RNA viruses. Therefore, bioactive metabolites from fungi can be considered potential antiviral candidates against DNA and RNA viruses.
Lifeasible offers research services for the application of mushroom extracts in the development of antiviral drugs. We can provide a range of services including the extraction and isolation of active compounds from mushrooms and the testing of mushroom extracts for viral activity. We can support your research into the use of fungi for antiviral drug development and facilitate the smooth running of your experiments.
Mushroom Antiviral Mechanisms
The viral replication cycle includes the steps of attachment, penetration, decapsidation, replication, assembly and release. The virus attaches to the cell and enters the host cell through the interaction of the viral capsid or glycoprotein with the cellular receptor. The viral nucleic acid is then released and used for replication. Viral replication depends on the viral genome. Most viral DNA genomes are replicated and transcribed into the nucleus using cellular enzymes. Mushroom compounds reduce viral infection and affect immune regulation primarily by targeting viral entry, genome replication, viral enzymes, viral proteins and cellular proteins. Compounds isolated from mushrooms can be effective at all stages of viral replication, including entry, decapsidation, replication, assembly and release.
Fig. 1 Inhibitory stages of bioactive compounds against herpes simplex virus. (Seo DJ, et al., 2021)
Our Services
Lifeasible provides research services for the use of mushroom extracts in the development of antiviral drugs. We have many years of experience in mushroom drug development research and our services include but are not limited to the following:
- Extraction and Isolation of Compounds
We offer the extraction and isolation of bioactive compounds from fungi with antiviral properties, including the following categories: Polysaccharides, carbohydrate-binding proteins (polysaccharide peptides and peptide mannans), proteins (ubiquitin-like proteins, nebrodeolysin, lectins and shiitake), peptides, enzymes (laccase and tyrosinase), polyphenols, triterpenes, triterpenoids and various other compounds.
- Testing of Mushroom Compounds for Antiviral Activity Against Viruses
We offer a service to determine the activity of mushroom extracts against the following viruses. The types of viruses we can test include but are not limited to:
- Enveloping DNA viruses
- Enveloped RNA viruses: Influenza virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)
- Non-enveloped RNA viruses: Human Norovirus (HuNoV), Enterovirus, Poliovirus and Coxsackievirus.
Contact Us
Lifeasible offers research services for the use of fungal extracts in the development of antiviral drugs. If you are interested in our research services, please do not hesitate to contact us for a more detailed description of our services.
Reference
- Seo DJ,et al. Antiviral bioactive compounds of mushrooms and their antiviral mechanisms: A Review. Viruses. 2021; 13 (2): null.
For research use only, not for clinical use.
