Quercetin-3 β-O-D-glucoside has potential as a prophylactic against Ebola virus infection. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Prophylactic efficacy of Quercetin-3-β-O-D-glucoside against Ebola virus infection.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 Jun 13. Epub 2016 Jun 13. PMID: 27297486
Xiangguo Qiu
Ebola outbreaks occur on a frequent basis, with the 2014-15 outbreak in West Africa being the largest ever recorded. It has resulted in over 11 000 deaths in four African countries and has received international attention and intervention. Although currently, there are no approved therapies or vaccines, many promising candidates are undergoing clinical trials and several have had success in promoting recovery from Ebola. However, these prophylactics and therapeutics have only been designed and tested against the same species of Ebola as the one causing the current outbreak. Future outbreaks involving other species would require reformulation and possibly redevelopment. Therefore a broad spectrum alternative is highly desirable. We have found that a flavonoid derivative called quercetin-3β-O-D-glucoside (Q3G) has the ability to protect mice from Ebola even when given as little as 30 minutes prior to infection. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that this compound targets the early steps of viral entry. Most promisingly, anti-viral activity was seen against two distinct species of Ebola. This study serves as a proof of principle that Q3G has potential as a prophylactic against Ebola virus infection.