美国科学家日前找到一种阻断丙型肝炎病毒复制的方法，这有可能为治疗丙肝找到新途径。
美国斯坦福大学研究人员在《科学―转化医学》（Science Translational Medicine）杂志网站上报告说，他们通过试管试验合成的一种蛋白质能够生成阻止丙肝病毒聚集或复制的化合物，从而破坏丙肝病毒的复制能力。
研究人员指出，这种人工合成的蛋白质通过干扰病毒特有的机制来发挥作用，据此开发出的新药物可能对人体的毒性较小。
研究人员还表示，他们的研究还处在初级阶段，距临床试验还有一段距离。
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《科学―转化医学》发表论文摘要（英文）
Sci Transl Med 20 January 2010:
Vol. 2, Issue 15, p. 15ra6
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3000331
Research Article
Identification of a Class of HCV Inhibitors Directed Against the Nonstructural Protein NS4B
Nam-Joon Cho1,2, Hadas Dvory-Sobol1,*, Choongho Lee1,*, Sang-Joon Cho3, Paul Bryson1, Marilyn Masek1, Menashe Elazar1, Curtis W. Frank2 and Jeffrey S. Glenn1,4,
Abstract
New classes of drugs are needed to combat hepatitis C virus (HCV), an important worldwide cause of liver disease. We describe an activity of a key domain, an amphipathic helix we termed 4BAH2, within a specific HCV nonstructural protein, NS4B. In addition to its proposed role in viral replication, we validate 4BAH2 as essential for HCV genome replication and identify first-generation small-molecule inhibitors of 4BAH2 that specifically prevent HCV replication within cells. Mechanistic studies reveal that the inhibitors target 4BAH2 function by preventing either 4BAH2 oligomerization or 4BAH2 membrane association. 4BAH2 inhibitors represent an additional class of compounds with potential to effectively treat HCV.
