Experimental Justification of Reprofiling of the Drug Maxar® for the Treatment of Viral Infections

Relevance. The development of highly effective broad-spectrum antiviral agents is one of the priorities in medicine, virology, and pharmacology. The strategy of repurposing (repositioning) registered drugs is of special interest along with significant progress in this area due to the use of the latest technologies for target identification, discovery and optimization of the lead compound, biological testing. The advantages of repositioning are, among other things, in reducing the time and cost of some of the necessary stages of research. The aim of the work is to study the antiviral activity of the polyphenol complex (PPC) from Maackia amurensis , the active substance of the drug Maksar®, as well as to expand the field of medical application of the drug. Material and methods. The antiviral activity of PPC against herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1) and enterovirus B (ECHO-1) grown on Vero cell culture was assessed by inhibition of the cytopathogenic effect (CPE) of the virus using the MTT assay. Results . PFC from Maackia amurensis wood effectively prevents the attachment of HSV-1 and ECHO-1 to Vero cells and exhibits high activity, exerting a virucidal effect, as well as inhibiting the early stage of viral particle replication. Conclusion . The data obtained expand the spectrum of pharmacological activity of Maxar® and determine the need for further studies of this drug in vivo to establish its antiviral properties in animal experiments. The final conclusion related to efficacy and safety can be drawn from the results of controlled randomized clinical trials with significant clinical results.