Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major infectious agent causing serious respiratory tract inflammation in infants. However, an effective anti-viral therapy for RSV infection has not yet been developed. RSV upregulates the platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor, which is a receptor for S. pneumoniae. Clarithromycin (CAM) and Fosfomycin (FOM) significantly suppress RSV-induced adhesion of S. pneumoniae on airway epithelium. Thus, these antibiotics might prevent secondary bacterial infections during RSV infection. In addition, several food materials have potent pharmacological effects on anti-viral infections. Therefore, we investigated the effects of curcumin and humulone on the replication of RSV. We found that curcumin and humulone prevented the expression of RSV/G-protein and formation of virus filaments in RSV-infected nasal epithelial cells. These findings suggest that curcumin and humulone have protective effects against the replication of RSV and that they are useful biological products for the prevention of and therapy for RSV infection.
