Development and characterization of new antivir and FNβ response and evaluation of their biological relevance

Abstract

Viruses represent a constant challenge for worldwide health systems due to the number of deaths that cause annually, being the major amount of emerging pathogens and potential pandemic agents. The development of broad antiviral strategies able to fight these pathogens is seen as an interesting option to minimize the effects of present and future events. The identification of new agonists of natural antiviral mechanisms, such as interferon system, as well as the development of antiviral materials are promising approaches to accomplish that. In this work, a description of the antiviral properties of two kinds of different materials, based on glass and clay, is described. These materials are capable to eliminate different viruses with clinical relevance. The description of the induction of interferon by novel agonists, such as thapsigargin, including an exploration of the mechanism and the relevance of the antiviral induction is also performed. A new method to quantify interferon by its biological activity fitting better the definition of interferon unit is developed. Finally, a study of metabolic alterations in human monocytes in the early stages of influenza virus infection is performed in the context of the production of interferon or its inhibition