Acyclovir News and Research

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Acyclovir is a synthetic analog of the purine nucleoside, guanosine, with potent antiviral activity against herpes simplex viruses type 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus and other viruses. After conversion in vivo to the active metabolite acyclovir triphosphate, acyclovir competitively inhibits viral DNA polymerase, incorporates into and terminates the growing viral DNA chain, and inactivates viral DNA polymerase. The greater antiviral activity of acyclovir against HSV compared to VZV is due to its more efficient phosphorylation by the thymidine kinase of HSV.

Bee-derived propolis shows potent antiviral activity against varicella-zoster virus

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a clinically important human neurotropic herpesvirus that causes varicella (chickenpox) as primary infection, typically in children.

5 Jun 2026

Antiviral drugs and shingles vaccines tied to lower dementia risk

New evidence links viral infections to dementia risk, suggesting vaccines and antiviral therapies may offer preventive pathways against cognitive decline.

8 Apr 2026

Repurposed cancer drug shows promise against drug-resistant herpes infections

UIC researchers have successfully repurposed an FDA-approved cancer drug, doxorubicin, to treat drug-resistant strains of herpes. Their work appears in the journal Drug Resistance Updates.

24 Mar 2026

Researchers develop a versatile tool for controlling gene activity

Investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a versatile and non-toxic technology for controlling the activity of any gene in a cell. Such "gene-switch" tools allow scientists to "turn on" or "turn off" a target gene to study how it works, model diseases and design new therapies.

3 Nov 2025

N-acetylcysteine protects against acyclovir-induced nephrotoxicity

Oxidative stress could be a key process in acyclovir (ACV)-induced nephrotoxicity. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a water-soluble antioxidant with anti-inflammatory activity.

18 Apr 2025

Scientists uncover how herpes virus fuels Alzheimer’s disease

Herpesvirus infection may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease through transposable element activation and neuroinflammation.

2 Mar 2025

Study shows how herpes viruses contribute to Alzheimer's disease in aging brains

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Genome Center outlined the pathway human herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV1) can use to contribute to Alzheimer's disease in aging brains.

24 Feb 2025

Unraveling the mystery of viral evolution

All organisms - from fungi to mammals - have the capacity to evolve and adapt to their environments. But viruses are master shapeshifters with the ability to mutate greater than any other organism. As a result, they can evade treatments or acquire resistance to once-effective antiviral medications.

28 Aug 2024

Evaluating the efficacy of harmol in treating herpes simplex virus-induced keratitis

The antiviral efficacy and therapeutic potential of harmol in treating herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) induced keratitis

29 May 2024

Brain organoids provide new insights into HSV-1 encephalitis

The herpes simplex virus-1 can sometimes cause a dangerous brain infection. Combining an anti-inflammatory and an antiviral could help in these cases, report scientists with the Rajewsky and Landthaler labs and the Organoid Platform at the Max Delbrück Center in Nature Microbiology.

22 Jun 2023

Traditional Chinese medicine may help treat neurodegenerative diseases caused by HSV-1 reactivation

Announcing a new publication for Acta Materia Medica journal. Owing to environmental and lifestyle changes in modern society, physical and mental stress is on the rise among the population in attempting to compensate for the changes.

3 Jan 2023

Miracles Start in the Lab: The quest to find a vaccine to cure AIDS

To commemorate World AIDS Day, News Medical spoke to Dr. Larry Corey, an internationally renowned expert in virology, immunology, and vaccine development, and the former president and director of Fred Hutch, about his work within the field of HIV/AIDS research and vaccine development.

30 Nov 2022

Can monkeypox infection lead to myocarditis?

A recent study presents the first known case of myocarditis as a complication of monkeypox virus infection.

13 Nov 2022

Researchers describe case report of male monkeypox patient

In a new case study, researchers described the case of a male patient with monkeypox.

10 Aug 2022

The recent progress in investigating the inhibitory impact of nanosponges and antiviral delivery against SARS-CoV-2

Researchers assessed the potential of nanosponges against SARS-CoV-2.

1 Aug 2022

New mouse model faithfully mimics brain damage caused by severe Rift Valley Fever virus infection

A new mouse model identified by virologists from the University of Pittsburgh might revolutionize development of therapies targeting brain inflammation caused by Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV).

15 Jul 2022

Pacific oyster as a weapon against SARS-CoV-2

According to an article published in the journal Reviews in Medical Virology, the effectiveness of mollusc-derived antiviral agents has been proven in many different laboratory and animal studies, while its efficacy against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has also been proposed by recent in silico studies.

7 Nov 2021

Acyclovir News and Research

Bee-derived propolis shows potent antiviral activity against varicella-zoster virus

Antiviral drugs and shingles vaccines tied to lower dementia risk

Repurposed cancer drug shows promise against drug-resistant herpes infections

Researchers develop a versatile tool for controlling gene activity

N-acetylcysteine protects against acyclovir-induced nephrotoxicity

Scientists uncover how herpes virus fuels Alzheimer’s disease

Study shows how herpes viruses contribute to Alzheimer's disease in aging brains

Unraveling the mystery of viral evolution

Evaluating the efficacy of harmol in treating herpes simplex virus-induced keratitis

Brain organoids provide new insights into HSV-1 encephalitis

Traditional Chinese medicine may help treat neurodegenerative diseases caused by HSV-1 reactivation

Miracles Start in the Lab: The quest to find a vaccine to cure AIDS

Can monkeypox infection lead to myocarditis?

Researchers describe case report of male monkeypox patient

The recent progress in investigating the inhibitory impact of nanosponges and antiviral delivery against SARS-CoV-2

New mouse model faithfully mimics brain damage caused by severe Rift Valley Fever virus infection

Pacific oyster as a weapon against SARS-CoV-2

Peptoids could one day cure or prevent herpes, COVID-19

Antiviral strategy using synthetic peptoid has promising implications for fighting infection

Drug prescribed for rare enzyme deficiency shows promise to treat herpes viruses

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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