In Vitro Antiviral Activity of Two Host Defense Peptides Against Human alphaherpesvirus 1

Viral infections are continually emerging with new characteristics and the potential to cause outbreaks or pandemics. Therefore, identification of new antiviral compounds is extremely necessary for therapeutic. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro action of host defense peptides against Human alphaherpesvirus 1 (HHV-1) replication. Vero cell monolayers were infected with HHV-1 TCID₅₀ and treated with different concentrations of IDR-1018 and DJK-6. The cell viability was evaluated by MTT method. Time of addition assays were performed to infer the effect of peptides upon the viral replicative cycle. IDR-1018 and DJK-6 were able to inhibit the HHV-1 replication in maximum nontoxic concentrations. However, IDR-1018 presented higher potency and a better safety profile. In addition, IDR-1018 probably inhibits adhesion, entry and post entry of virus infection. DJK-6 seems to be capable of interfering with virus entry and viral biosynthesis.