Urumin is a peptide originally isolated fromH. bahuvistara (South Indian frog) skin that has antiviral activity.1 It inhibits H1 hemagglutinin-containing human influenza A viruses by 60 to >90% and H3 hemagglutinin-containing viruses by less than 50%. Urumin specifically targets the H1 hemagglutinin stalk in an antiviral assay using a chimeric virus and in an ELISA assay and acts by actively destroying influenza virions. It reduces viral titers of drug-resistant and -sensitive strains of H1N1 virus in a plaque assay and in mice. Intranasal administration of urumin (20 µg) prior to a lethal dose of PR8 influenza increases survival, with 70% of urumin-treated mice surviving after 14 days compared with 20% of control animals.
1.Holthausen, D.J., Lee, S.H., Kumar, V.T.V., et al.An amphibian host defense peptide is virucidal for human H1 hemagglutinin-bearing influenza virusesImmunity46(4)587-595(2017)