Antiviral activity of oxidized polyamines.

Polyamines, oxidized by serum amine oxidase, yield aminoaldehydes and hydrogen peroxide. Acrolein may be formed from the aminoaldehydes by a spontaneous beta-elimination process. These oxidation products "oxidized polyamines" inhibit bacterial growth and exhibit anticancer activity. The antimicrobial activity of oxidized polyamines is not limited to bacteria; and the inactivation of bacterial viruses, plant viruses and animal viruses, was also reported. Bacteriophages of the T-odd series are permeable and were inactivated by oxidized polyamines. The inactive phages absorb to their bacterial host and injected their DNA, which formed a stable inactive complex with the aminoaldehydes. Aminoaldehydes, synthesized chemically, also inactivated viruses. The growth of the plant viruses: Tobacco mosaic virus, Potato virus X and Alfalfa mosaic virus was also inhibited by oxidized polyamines. The animal viruses, which were inactivated by oxidized polyamines included Myxoviruses (influenza and Newcastle disease viruses), West Nile, vaccinia and Sindbis viruses. These findings may have practical implications.