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The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has shown that a protein present in tamarind seeds has antiviral properties and can therefore be used to develop an antiviral drug for Chikungunya.
This study was conducted by two professors, Shailly Tomar and Pravindra Kumar, from the Institute's Biotechnology Department.
Their findings were recently published in the journal Elsevier, Virology.
What is Chikungunya?
Chikungunyan alphavirus
The Chikungunya virus is an alpha virus that causes high fever and severe joint pain. Alpha viruses cause mild to severe viral diseases in humans and animals and are usually transmitted by mosquitoes.
The word & # 39; Chikungunya & # 39; means to become contorted in Tanzanian, "Kimakonde", and describes
This is what Professor of IIT Roorkee said about antiviral treatments:
"Antiviral drugs and vaccines against most alpha viruses, including Chikungunya, are still not Professor Tomar said Professor Tomar.
Alpha viruses, including chikungunya, cause infections
Chikungunya and other alpha viruses consist of a single RNA strand virus that is wrapped in a capsule.The outermost layer of the capsule consists of glycoproteins containing glycans, a form of sugar.
Through these sugar fractions, the viruses attach to the receptors of the host cell and enter the cells, causing infections .Antiviral drug capable of blocking the interaction of alpha viruses with the host cell. te and thus inhibit the virus.
In biological systems, antibodies bind to viral surface glycans (sugar) and glycoproteins and inhibit penetration. of the virus in the host cells.
Antiviral drugs to treat these infections
Thus, research on the development of antiviral drugs has largely focused on the development of sugar-binding molecules that mimic the action of biological antibodies.
Lectin, a diverse substance. group of proteins from plant sources, are known to bind to glycans sugars.
Lectin is an antiviral drug derived from tamarind seeds.
The use of lectin as an antiviral has been the subject of numerous studies on many viruses, including HIV and HPV. Professors Tomar and Kumar have shown that a lectin derived from tamarind seeds binds to glycan / sugar molecules containing N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) on the virus capsule, thus preventing the entry of the virus in the host cells.
Chikungunya glycoproteins have NAG, which makes tamarind derived lectin a promising agent against this virus.
Tamarind is an Excellent Ayurvedic Food
Tamarind Seeds for Chikungunya
is an excellent Ayurvedic food. The fruits, seeds, leaves and roots of tamarind bark have been used to treat abdominal pain, diarrhea and dysentery, bacterial infections and parasitic infestations, wounds, constipation and inflammation. IIT Roorkee.
Isolation of lectin from tamarind seeds
They isolated the lectin from tamarind seeds using chromatography and studied the binding of t The molecules of lectin of the glycan in the viral capsule by a process called enzyme-linked immunosorbent baday (ELISA).
The antiviral activity of tamarind seed lectin has been demonstrated by techniques such as luciferase-based baday, plaque reduction baday and real-time PCR.
Not only did the Chikungunya virus lose 64 percent of its infectivity when treated with lectin, but also the level of viral RNA in cells also found a reduction in about 45 percent .
"This study evaluated for the first time the antiviral use of lectin derived from tamarind seed having a specificity for NAG and its ability to block the entry stage of the virus", said Professor Tomar.
Researchers to develop therapeutic agents
The IIT research group Roorkee has filed a patent for an antiviral composition containing this tamarind antiviral protein. Researchers are currently developing therapeutic tamarind agents for Chikungunya.
About IIT Roorkee
IIT Roorkee is a nationally important institute that provides higher education in engineering, science, management, architecture and planning, and humanities and social sciences.
Since its creation in 1847, the Institute has played a vital role in providing technical personnel and know-how to the country.
Read: Why the IIT Roorkee Dam Safety Project Tackles One of India's Concerns Top Concerns About Water Storage and Redistribution
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