Quercetin blocks Hepatitis C infection....

The conventional treatments for hepatitis C are interferon and ribavirin, which can cause major side effects and aren't effective in all patients. But something interesting and unique has been achieved  by UCLA researchers.

As per the claim by the lead researcher Samuel French Assistant Professor, Pathology of UCLA, they have  identified major two cellular proteins (HSPs, heat shock proteins 40 and 70) that play an important role in hepatitis C infection, and they say the finding may point to new and less toxic treatments for the disease, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The researchers also found that Quercetin,  blocks the synthesis of two heat shock proteins 40 and 70proteins  and significantly inhibited viral infection in tissue culture.

 

Quercetin (see the structure) :  

Is a plant-derived flavonoid, specifically a flavonol, used as a nutritional supplement. Laboratory studies show it may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties,  and it is being investigated for a wide range of potential health benefits.Interestingly American cancer society, says that while quercetin has been promoted as being effective against a wide variety of diseases, including cancer, There is current early-stage clinical research on quercetin addressing safety and efficacy against sarcoidosis, asthma and glucose absorption in obesity and diabetes. Food riches in Quercetin includes, capers, lovage, apples, tea (Camellia sinensis), onion, especially red onion (higher concentrations of quercetin occur in the outermost rings), red grapes, citrus fruit, tomato, broccoli and other leafy green vegetables, cherries and berries.

Significant claims by the researchers are ;

a. quercetin targets cellular proteins rather than viral proteins, there is less likelihood of developing viral

    resistance (cellular proteins cannot change like viral proteins can);

b. quercetin may allow for the dissection of the viral life cycle and has potential therapeutic use to reduce
    virus  production with low associated toxicity.

Hope the researcher will have positive results from the phase 1 clinical trial.....

Ref :http://www.cancer.ucla.edu/Index.aspx?page=644&recordid=312

FDA Approves Olysio (simeprevir) in Combination with Sofosbuvir for Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

In continuation of my update on Sofosbuvir (left) and  Simeprevir (right)

Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP (Janssen) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Olysio (simeprevir), a hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor, in combination with sofosbuvir as an all-oral, interferon- and ribavirin-free treatment option for genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection in adult patients as part of a combination antiviral treatment regimen. Sofosbuvir is an HCV nucleotide analog NS5B polymerase inhibitor developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

FDA Approves Olysio (simeprevir) in Combination with Sofosbuvir for Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

Epclusa Approved for Chronic Hepatitis C

The combination drug Epclusa has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the six major strains of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Epclusa combines sofosbuvir, FDA-approved in 2013, and the new drug velpatasvir. For people with moderate-to-severe cirrhosis (chronic liver disease), Epclusa is approved to be used in combination with the drug ribavirin. Epclusa also is approved for use in people who haven't developed cirrhosis, the agency said Tuesday in a news release.

 sofosbuvir     velpatasvir

HCV causes liver inflammation and diminished liver function. Some 75 percent of Americans with the disease have genotype 1, although there are five other strains. The disease typically becomes chronic, leading to possible complications including bleeding, yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), abdominal fluid accumulation and liver cancer. It could lead to death.

Epclusa was evaluated in clinical trials involving more than 1,500 people. Up to 99 percent of participants given the drug had no virus detected in the blood 12 weeks after treatment, the FDA said.

The most common side effects reported were headache and fatigue.

The drug's label warns that Epclusa, when used with certain other drugs including the heart medication amiodarone, could lead to symptomatic bradycardia, a serious slowing of the heart, the FDA said.

 amiodarone

Investigational oral regimen for hepatitis C shows promise

In a study of an all-oral drug regimen, a majority of volunteers with liver damage due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were cured following a six-month course of therapy that combined an experimental drug, sofosbuvir, with the licensed antiviral drug ribavirin. The results showed that the regimen was highly effective in clearing the virus and well tolerated in a group of patients who historically have had unfavorable prognoses.

Investigational oral regimen for hepatitis C shows promise

New Drug Combo for Hepatitis C Shows Promise...

A new cocktail of two investigational drugs appears to have successfully cleared the hepatitis C virus in people who don't respond to standard treatment. What's more, the approach seems to work without the need for injections with interferon alpha, an onerous medication that causes serious side effects in many patients.

"We saw a sustained virologic response -- the virus was undetectable in the patients -- during treatment and remained undetectable after the drugs were stopped," said study author Dr. Anna Lok, director of clinical hepatology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.

The study had two arms:  a group of 10 patients received four medications, including the two investigational drugs, the antivirals daclatasvir (see right structure)  and asunaprevir (see left structure-courtesy: ChemSpider), along with the standard treatment combination of interferon and ribavirin. The other arm of the study included 11 patients who received only the two investigational drugs. Both groups underwent treatment for 24 weeks.

The 10 patients on the four-drug regimen experienced a sustained virologic response with undetectable virus at the end of treatment and again at 12 weeks beyond their treatment, the researchers reported. In the two-drug group, four of the 11 patients also had undetectable levels of the hepatitis C virus in their blood 12 weeks after treatment ended.

"The four-drug arm was very impressive. These patients had not shown a response before and now we get a 90 to 100 percent rate of sustained response," said Lok....

Ref : http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1104430

FDA Approves Olysio (simeprevir) in Combination with Sofosbuvir for Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

In continuation of my update on sofosbuvir

Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP (Janssen) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Olysio (simeprevir), a hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor, in combination withsofosbuvir as an all-oral, interferon- and ribavirin-free treatment option for genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection in adult patients as part of a combination antiviral treatment regimen. Sofosbuvir is an HCV nucleotide analog NS5B polymerase inhibitor developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

FDA Approves Olysio (simeprevir) in Combination with Sofosbuvir for Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Infection