A Novel Sulfonated Derivative of β-Cyclodextrin Effectively Inhibits Influenza A Virus Infection in vitro and in vivo

The development of novel drugs against the influenza virus with high efficiency and low toxicity is an urgent and important task. Previous reports have demonstrated that compounds based on sulfo derivatives of oligo- and polysaccharides possess high antiviral activity. In this study, we have examined the ability of a novel sulfonated derivative of β-cyclodextrin (KS-6469) to inhibit the influenza virus A/WSN/33 (H1N1) infection in vitro and in vivo. The antiviral potential of KS-6469 against the influenza virus was evaluated in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney epithelial cells treated with serially diluted KS-6469. We found out that KS-6469 completely inhibited viral reproduction after treatment of the infected cells with the compound for 48 h. Our data show that double intranasal treatment of mice with KS-6469 fully protected the animals from a lethal infection and significantly decreased the viral titers in the lungs of the infected animals. Thus, the novel sulfonated β-cyclodextrin derivative KS-6469 is a promising candidate for the development of antiviral drugs for preventing and treating the influenza infection.