EICAR is a drug which acts as an
inhibitor
Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to:
In biology
* Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity
* Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotra ...
of the
enzyme IMP dehydrogenase
IMP or imp may refer to:
* Imp, a fantasy creature
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power''
* Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony''
* Imp, a character in the '' Clan ...
. It is a
nucleoside derivative which has both anti-cancer and
antiviral effects, and was originally developed for the treatment of
leukemia, but was unsuccessful in human
clinical trials. It has broad spectrum antiviral effects with activity against
pox viruses,
Semliki forest virus,
Junin virus,
reovirus,
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
,
measles virus and
respiratory syncytial virus among others, although it is not active against
coronaviridae
such as
SARS-CoV-1
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1; or Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV) is a strain of coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the respiratory illness responsible for th ...
. This useful spectrum of activity means that EICAR and related derivatives continue to be investigated for the treatment of viral diseases.
References
Antiviral drugs
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