TITLE:
The Possibility of Nucleic Acids to Act as Anti-Viral Therapeutic Agents—A Review
AUTHORS:
Md. Selim Reza, Farzana Mim, Mohammad Rezaul Quader, Mohammad Jahidur Rahman Khan, Md. Sabir Hossain, Kazi Rasel Uddin, Salina Akter, Sharmin Rahman, Sumon Roy, Md. Abdullah Rumman
KEYWORDS:
Antisense Oligonucleotides, Aptamers, Ribozymes, Deoxyribozymes, RNA Interference
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Microbiology,
Vol.11 No.3,
September
24,
2021
ABSTRACT: For just about 30 years, researchers have considered
the likelihood to utilize nucleic acids as
antiviral therapeutics. In principle, small single-stranded nucleotide sequence (oligonucleotide) could hybridize
to a particular gene or messenger RNA
and diminish transcription or translation, respectively, in this manner
decreasing the amount of protein that is synthesized. Until now, an incredible
number of antisense oligonucleotides, double-stranded oligonucleotides, aptamers,
ribozymes, deoxyribozymes, interfering RNAs, chimeric RNA-DNA molecules, antibody
genes has been created artificially and applied
effectively for comprehension and manipulating biological processes and
in clinical preliminaries to treat a variety of diseases. Their versatility and
potency make them similarly fit candidates for fighting viral infections.
However, troubles with their efficiency, off-target effects, toxicity,
delivery, and stability halted the development of nucleic acid-based
therapeutics that can be utilized in the clinic. The potential for nucleic acid
therapeutic agents is significant and is quite recently beginning to be
realized. In this review, we have summarized some of the recent advancements
made in the area of nucleic acid based therapeutics and focused on the methods
of their delivery and associated challenges.