Effect of biological and synthetic polymers on BK virus infectivity and hemagglutination

The effect of several biological and synthetic polymers, chosen on the basis of different physical and chemical properties, was investigated on BK virus infectivity and hemagglutination. It was observed that polyanions like mucin, dextran sulfate and heparin depressed the viral binding, whereas polycations had no significant activity, with the exception of poly-L-lysine, which enhanced it. The effect of the active polymers was studied in different experimental conditions and the results obtained suggested that polyanions may act directly on the virus particle, whereas the target of polycations could be at the level of cell membranes. However, the effect shown by the active compounds did not appear to be simply related to the electric charge since neutral compounds, such as tamarind gum and locust bean gum, showed a marked inhibitory effect on BK virus binding to the cells.