Natural and synthetic sialic acid-containing inhibitors of influenza virus receptor binding.

Influenza viruses attach to susceptible cells via multivalent interactions of their haemagglutinins with sialyloligosaccharide moieties of cellular glycoconjugates. Soluble macromolecules containing sialic acid from animal sera and mucosal fluids can act as decoy receptors and competitively inhibit virus-mediated haemagglutination and infection. Although a role for these natural inhibitors in the innate anti-influenza immunity is still not clear, studies are in progress on the design of synthetic sialic acid-containing inhibitors of receptor binding which could be used as anti-influenza drugs. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.