美国研究人员日前公布的研究结果显示，4种目前用于艾滋病治疗的药物同样可以抑制XMRV病毒复制，后者被认为是前列腺癌和慢性疲劳综合征的可能病因之一。
这项研究由埃默里大学、犹他大学等机构完成，研究成果1日发表在美国《第一公共科学图书馆》杂志上。
与艾滋病病毒一样，XMRV病毒也是一种逆转录病毒，这意味着一旦感染，病毒就会永久留在感染者体内。美国研究人员此前研究发现，XMRV病毒可能参与人类前列腺癌的发生，与人类慢性疲劳综合征的发病也有关系。不过，英国研究人员今年１月曾发表文章认为，慢性疲劳综合征与XMRV病毒是否有关需要进一步研究。
在新研究中，美国埃默里大学、犹他大学等机构研究人员对45种抗艾滋病化合物进行了筛选。他们最终发现，两种整合酶抑制剂和两种逆转录抑制剂可以抑制XMRV病毒复制，其中效果最佳者是默沙东公司生产的整合酶抑制剂雷特格韦。后者2009年经美国食品和药物管理局批准用于治疗艾滋病患者，它能阻止艾滋病病毒侵入细胞的脱氧核糖核酸。
研究人员表示，如果最终证明XMRV病毒与前列腺癌或慢性疲劳综合征有关，或许可以利用上述治疗艾滋病的药物开发“鸡尾酒疗法”，治疗这两种疾病。
原文出处：
PLoS ONE 5(4): e9948. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009948
Raltegravir Is a Potent Inhibitor of XMRV, a Virus Implicated in Prostate Cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Ila R. Singh1*, John E. Gorzynski1, Daria Drobysheva1, Leda Bassit2, Raymond F. Schinazi2
1 Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America, 2 Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia, United States of America
Background
Xenotropic murine leukemia-related retrovirus (XMRV) is a recently discovered retrovirus that has been linked to human prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Both diseases affect a large fraction of the world population, with prostate cancer affecting one in six men, and CFS affecting an estimated 0.4 to 1% of the population.
Principal Findings
Forty-five compounds, including twenty-eight drugs approved for use in humans, were evaluated against XMRV replication in vitro. We found that the retroviral integrase inhibitor, raltegravir, was potent and selective against XMRV at submicromolar concentrations, in MCF-7 and LNCaP cells, a breast cancer and prostate cancer cell line, respectively. Another integrase inhibitor, L-000870812, and two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, zidovudine (ZDV), and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) also inhibited XMRV replication. When combined, these drugs displayed mostly synergistic effects against this virus, suggesting that combination therapy may delay or prevent the selection of resistant viruses.
Conclusions
If XMRV proves to be a causal factor in prostate cancer or CFS, these discoveries may allow for rational design of clinical trials.
