• Universitat de València
• Universidad de Antioquia

• Liliana Amparo Betancur Galvis

There are a number of serious human diseases caused by viruses, including Dengue. Human herpesviruses type 1 and type 2 (HHV-1 and HHV-2) are double-stranded DNA enveloped viruses. The public health impact of Dengue virus (DENV) is increasing. DENV is a single-stranded RNA virus, occurring in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world, whose transmission has increased predominantly in urban and semi-urban areas, making it the most important arbovirus as a public health problem, to the extent that currently more than half of the world's population is at risk of contracting the disease. The alpha-herpesvirinae subfamily contains several strains of viruses, HHV-1 to HHV-3, that cause infections in humans. The most common are herpes labialis and genital herpes caused by infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HHV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HHV-2), respectively. To date, there is no specific drug for treatment in humans, nor is there a vaccine available. Due to the public health impact of these viruses and the fact that existing treatments for these viral diseases are inadequate, there is a need to find new and more effective drugs.

Researchers from the Universitat de València and the Universidad de Antioquia (Colombia) have demonstrated the use of abietane-derived compounds, specifically ferruginol analogues, as antivirals against enveloped viruses such as Dengue and herpes simplex viruses. The synthesised compounds are structurally different from Acyclovir, the reference drug for the treatment of herpes simplex; in the case of Dengue there is no effective treatment, only symptomatic.

The main application of the technology is in the pharmaceutical sector, as a drug or active ingredient for the treatment of Dengue and herpes simplex virus diseases.

The main advantage provided by the invention is to provide an effective pharmacological treatment for the treatment of Dengue; and to contribute to the therapy of herpetic diseases. Specifically, the compounds tested for the treatment of Dengue are between 2-5 times more potent than ribavirin, used as the reference antiviral, as there is no drug of choice for this viral infection.

• Patent granted