The human coronavirus NL63 is generally classified as a common cold pathogen, though the infection
may also result in severe lower respiratory tract diseases, especially in children, patients with underlying
disease, and elderly. It has been previously shown that HCoV-NL63 is also one of the most important
causes of croup in children. In the current manuscript we developed a set of polymer-based compounds
showing prominent anticoronaviral activity. Polymers have been recently considered as promising alter-
natives to small molecule inhibitors, due to their intrinsic antimicrobial properties and ability to serve as
matrices for antimicrobial compounds. Most of the antimicrobial polymers show antibacterial properties,
while those with antiviral activity are much less frequent. A cationically modified chitosan derivative,
N
-(2-hydroxypropyl)-3-trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC), and hydrophobically-modified
HTCC were shown to be potent inhibitors of HCoV-NL63 replication. Furthermore, both compounds
showed prominent activity against murine hepatitis virus, suggesting broader anticoronaviral activity.
affiliation:
Wydział Biochemii, Biofizyki i Biotechnologii : Zakład Mikrobiologii, Wydział Chemii : Zakład Chemii Fizycznej i Elektrochemii