scholarly journals Resveratrol affects Zika virus replication in vitro

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azirah Mohd ◽  
Nurhafiza Zainal ◽  
Kim-Kee Tan ◽  
Sazaly AbuBakar

Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is a serious public health concern. ZIKV infection has been associated with increased occurrences of microcephaly among newborns and incidences of Guillain-Barré syndrome among adults. No specific therapeutics or vaccines are currently available to treat and protect against ZIKV infection. Here, a plant-secreted phytoalexin, resveratrol (RES), was investigated for its ability to inhibit ZIKV replication in vitro. Several RES treatment regimens were used. The ZIKV titers of mock- and RES-treated infected cell cultures were determined using the focus-forming assay and the Zika mRNA copy number as determined using qRT-PCR. Our results suggested that RES treatment reduced ZIKV titers in a dose-dependent manner. A reduction of >90% of virus titer and ZIKV mRNA copy number was achieved when infected cells were treated with 80 µM of RES post-infection. Pre-incubation of the virus with 80 µM RES showed >30% reduction in ZIKV titers and ZIKV mRNA copy number, implying potential direct virucidal effects of RES against the virus. The RES treatment reduced >70% virus titer in the anti-adsorption assay, suggesting the possibility that RES also interferes with ZIKV binding. However, there was no significant decrease in ZIKV titer when a short-period of RES treatment was applied to cells before ZIKV infection (pre-infection) and after the virus bound to the cells (virus internalization inhibition), implying that RES acts through its continuous presence in the cell cultures after virus infection. Overall, our results suggested that RES exhibited direct virucidal activity against ZIKV and possessed anti-ZIKV replication properties, highlighting the need for further exploration of RES as a potential antiviral molecule against ZIKV infection.

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1985912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio C. Cirne-Santos ◽  
Caroline de S. Barros ◽  
Max W. L. Gomes ◽  
Rafaela Gomes ◽  
Diana N. Cavalcanti ◽  
...  

Natural products isolated from seaweeds have shown great antiviral potential against numerous viruses such as human type 1 herpes, human immunodeficiency virus, and dengue. Diterpenes produced by the brown seaweeds Dictyota and Canistrocarpus, in particular, have shown antiviral or virucidal activity. Recently, the Zika virus (ZIKV) has become a major public health concern due to its widespread dissemination throughout the Americas. Since no vaccines are available, and no drugs have effectively treated recent cases of infection, our group evaluated products from Dictyota menstrualis for their antiviral potential, alone and in combination with Ribavirin. We first evaluated the compounds’ cytotoxicity at high concentrations, and then evaluated the inhibition of ZIKV replication by crude extracts and acetylated crude extracts and their fractions at 20 μg/mL. The F-6 and FAc-2 fractions, rich in cyclic diterpenes with aldehyde groupings, inhibited ZIKV replication by >74%, with inhibition behaving in a dose-dependent manner and the 50% effective concentration (EC50) values of 2.80 (F-6) and 0.81 (FAc-2) μg/mL. Regarding the mechanism of action, FAc-2 had strong virucidal potential, and F-6 inhibited viral adsorption. Associating FAc-2 with Ribavirin at suboptimal dosages produced a strong synergistic effect that completely inhibited viral replication. Our results indicate that these natural products have excellent inhibitory potential against ZIKV replication and may be promising for developing affective therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1178
Author(s):  
Keesha Matz ◽  
Jackson Emanuel ◽  
Julie Callison ◽  
Don Gardner ◽  
Rebecca Rosenke ◽  
...  

Zika virus (ZIKV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is an important human pathogen that has caused epidemics in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. No licensed treatments for ZIKV disease are currently available. Favipiravir (T-705; 6-fluoro-3-hydroxy-2-pyrazinecarboxamide) and ribavirin (1-(β-D-Ribofuranosyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide) are nucleoside analogs that have exhibited antiviral activity against a broad spectrum of RNA viruses, including some flaviviruses. In this study, we strengthened evidence for favipiravir and ribavirin inhibition of ZIKV replication in vitro. Testing in IFNAR−/− mice revealed that daily treatments of favipiravir were sufficient to provide protection against lethal ZIKV challenge in a dose-dependent manner but did not completely abrogate disease. Ribavirin, on the other hand, had no beneficial effect against ZIKV infection in this model and under the conditions examined. Combined treatment of ribavirin and favipiravir did not show improved outcomes over ribavirin alone. Surprisingly, outcome of favipiravir treatment was sex-dependent, with 87% of female but only 25% of male mice surviving lethal ZIKV infection. Since virus mutations were not associated with outcome, a sex-specific host response likely explains the observed sex difference.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 494-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameer Suresh Bhagyawant ◽  
Dakshita Tanaji Narvekar ◽  
Neha Gupta ◽  
Amita Bhadkaria ◽  
Ajay Kumar Gautam ◽  
...  

Background: Diabetes and hypertension are the major health concern and alleged to be of epidemic proportions. This has made it a numero uno subject at various levels of investigation. Glucosidase inhibitor provides the reasonable option in treatment of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) as it specifically targets post prandial hyperglycemia. The Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) plays an important role in hypertension. Therefore, inhibition of ACE in treatment of elevated blood pressure attracts special interest of the scientific community. Chickpea is a food legume and seeds contain carbohydrate binding protein- a lectin. Some of the biological properties of this lectin hitherto been elucidated. Methods: Purified by ion exchange chromatography, chickpea lectin was tested for its in vitro antioxidant, ACE-I inhibitory and anti-diabetic characteristic. Results: Lectin shows a characteristic improvement over the synthetic drugs like acarbose (oral anti-diabetic drug) and captopril (standard antihypertensive drug) when, their IC50 values are compared. Lectin significantly inhibited α-glucosidase and α-amylase in a concentration dependent manner with IC50 values of 85.41 ± 1.21 ҝg/ml and 65.05 ± 1.2 µg/ml compared to acarbose having IC50 70.20 ± 0.47 value of µg/ml and 50.52 ± 1.01 µg/ml respectively. β-Carotene bleaching assay showed antioxidant activity of lectin (72.3%) to be as active as Butylated Hydroxylanisole (BHA). In addition, lectin demonstrated inhibition against ACE-I with IC50 value of 57.43 ± 1.20 µg/ml compared to captopril. Conclusion: Lectin demonstrated its antioxidant character, ACE-I inhibition and significantly inhibitory for α-glucosidase and α-amylase seems to qualify as an anti-hyperglycemic therapeutic molecule. The biological effects of chickpea lectin display potential for reducing the parameters of medically debilitating conditions. These characteristics however needs to be established under in vivo systems too viz. animals through to humans.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Verena Schultz ◽  
Stephanie L. Cumberworth ◽  
Quan Gu ◽  
Natasha Johnson ◽  
Claire L. Donald ◽  
...  

Understanding how Zika virus (Flaviviridae; ZIKV) affects neural cells is paramount in comprehending pathologies associated with infection. Whilst the effects of ZIKV in neural development are well documented, impact on the adult nervous system remains obscure. Here, we investigated the effects of ZIKV infection in established mature myelinated central nervous system (CNS) cultures. Infection incurred damage to myelinated fibers, with ZIKV-positive cells appearing when myelin damage was first detected as well as axonal pathology, suggesting the latter was a consequence of oligodendroglia infection. Transcriptome analysis revealed host factors that were upregulated during ZIKV infection. One such factor, CCL5, was validated in vitro as inhibiting myelination. Transferred UV-inactivated media from infected cultures did not damage myelin and axons, suggesting that viral replication is necessary to induce the observed effects. These data show that ZIKV infection affects CNS cells even after myelination—which is critical for saltatory conduction and neuronal function—has taken place. Understanding the targets of this virus across developmental stages including the mature CNS, and the subsequent effects of infection of cell types, is necessary to understand effective time frames for therapeutic intervention.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim-Ling Chin ◽  
Nurhafiza binti Zainal ◽  
Sing-Sin Sam ◽  
Pouya Hassandarvish ◽  
Rafidah Lani ◽  
...  

Abstract Neonatal microcephaly and adult Guillain-Barré syndrome are severe complications of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. The robustly induced inflammatory cytokine expressions in ZIKV-infected patients may constitute a hallmark for severe disease. In the present study, the potential role of high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) in ZIKV infection was investigated. HMGB1 protein expression was determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot assay. HMGB1’s role in ZIKV infection was also explored using treatment with dexamethasone, an immunomodulatory drug. Antiviral effects of dexamethasone treatment on both wild-typed (WT) and HMGB1-knockdown (shHMGB1) Huh7 cells were determined by the focus-forming assay. Results showed that the Huh7 cells were highly susceptible to ZIKV infection. The infection was found to induce HMGB1 nuclear-to-cytoplasmic translocation, resulting in a >99% increase in the cytosolic HMGB1 expression at 72h.p.i. The extracellular HMGB1 level was elevated in a time- and multiplicity of infection (MOI)- dependent manner. Dexamethasone 150 µM treatment of the ZIKV-infected cells reduced HMGB1 extracellular release in a dose-dependent manner, with a maximum reduction of 71 ± 5.84% (p < 0.01). The treatment also reduced virus titers by over 83 ± 0.50% (p < 0.01). The antiviral effects, however, was not observed in the dexamethasone-treated HMGB1-knockdown cells, suggesting the importance of the intracellular HMGB1 in ZIKV infection. Overall, these results suggest that translocation of HMGB1 occurred during ZIKV infection and inhibition of the translocation reduced ZIKV replication. These findings highlight the potential of developing therapeutics against ZIKV infection by affecting the translocation of HMGB1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Sabino ◽  
Daniela Bender ◽  
Marie-Luise Herrlein ◽  
Eberhard Hildt

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus well-known for the epidemic in the Americas in 2015-2016, where microcephaly in newborns and other neurological complications were connected to ZIKV infection. Many aspects of the viral life cycle, including binding and entry into the host cell, are still enigmatic. Based on the observation that CHO cells lack the expression of EGFR and are not permissive for various ZIKV strains, the relevance of EGFR for the viral life cycle was analyzed. Infection of A549 cells by ZIKV leads to a rapid internalization of EGFR that colocalizes with the endosomal marker EEA1. Moreover, the infection by different ZIKV strains is associated with an activation of EGFR and subsequent activation of the MAPK/ERK signaling cascade. However, treatment of the cells with MβCD, which on the one hand leads to an activation of EGFR but on the other hand prevents EGFR internalization, impairs ZIKV infection. Specific inhibition of EGFR or of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signal transduction cascade hinders ZIKV infection by inhibition of ZIKV entry. In accordance to this, knockout of EGFR expression impedes ZIKV entry. In case of an already established infection, inhibition of EGFR or of downstream signaling does not affect viral replication. Taken together, these data demonstrate the relevance of EGFR in the early stages of ZIKV infection and identify EGFR as a target for antiviral strategies. Importance These data deepen the knowledge about the ZIKV infection process and demonstrate the relevance of EGFR for ZIKV entry. In light of the fact that a variety of specific and efficient inhibitors of EGFR and of EGFR-dependent signaling were developed and licensed, repurposing of these substances could be a helpful tool to prevent the spreading of ZIKV infection in an epidemic outbreak.


Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasha R. Azar ◽  
Scott C. Weaver

The unprecedented outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in the Americas from 2015 to 2017 prompted the publication of a large body of vector competence data in a relatively short period of time. Although differences in vector competence as a result of disparities in mosquito populations and viral strains are to be expected, the limited competence of many populations of the urban mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, from the Americas (when its susceptibility is viewed relative to other circulating/reemerging mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue (DENV), yellow fever (YFV), and chikungunya viruses (CHIKV)) has proven a paradox for the field. This has been further complicated by the lack of standardization in the methodologies utilized in laboratory vector competence experiments, precluding meta-analyses of this large data set. As the calls for the standardization of such studies continue to grow in number, it is critical to examine the elements of vector competence experimental design. Herein, we review the various techniques and considerations intrinsic to vector competence studies, with respect to contemporary findings for ZIKV, as well as historical findings for other arboviruses, and discuss potential avenues of standardization going forward.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuyi Huang ◽  
Yujie Wang ◽  
Shuhui Meng ◽  
Zhuohang Chen ◽  
Haifan Kong ◽  
...  

Recent studies have indicated that the Zika virus (ZIKV) has a significant impact on the fetal brain, and autophagy is contributing to host immune response and defense against virus infection. Here, we demonstrate that ZIKV infection triggered increased LC3 punctuation in mouse monocyte-macrophage cell line (RAW264.7), mouse microglial cell line (BV2), and hindbrain tissues, proving the occurrence of autophagy both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, manual intervention of autophagy, like deficiency inhibited by 3-MA, can reduce viral clearance in RAW264.7 cells upon ZIKV infection. Besides, specific siRNA strategy confirmed that autophagy can be activated through Atg7-Atg5 and type I IFN signaling pathway upon ZIKV infection, while knocking down of Atg7 and Atg5 effectively decreased the ZIKV clearance in phagocytes. Furthermore, we analyzed that type I IFN signaling could contribute to autophagic clearance of invaded ZIKV in phagocytes. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that ZIKV-induced autophagy is favorable to activate host immunity, particularly through type I IFN signaling, which participates in host protection and defense against ZIKV infection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Gratton ◽  
Almerinda Agrelli ◽  
Paola Tricarico ◽  
Lucas Brandão ◽  
Sergio Crovella

Zika virus (ZIKV) still constitutes a public health concern, however, no vaccines or therapies are currently approved for treatment. A fundamental process involved in ZIKV infection is autophagy, a cellular catabolic pathway delivering cytoplasmic cargo to the lysosome for degradation—considered as a primordial form of innate immunity against invading microorganisms. ZIKV is thought to inhibit the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, which causes aberrant activation of autophagy promoting viral replication and propagation. It is therefore appealing to study the role of autophagic molecular effectors during viral infection to identify potential targets for anti-ZIKV therapeutic intervention.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Hyun Park ◽  
Jae-Joon Lee ◽  
Hee-Kyoung Son ◽  
Bok-Hee Kim ◽  
Jaemin Byun ◽  
...  

Obesity has recently risen and become a serious health concern in Korea according to the westernized diet and altered lifestyle. Hence, there is a growing interest in the supplementation of phytochemicals to find a safe and effective functional ingredient to treat obesity. Spergularia marina Griseb (SM) has traditionally been used as a natural herb against chronic diseases in Korea. In this study, we investigated the antiobesity effects of SM in vitro and in vivo. SM ethanol extract (SME) inhibited proliferation and differentiation in murine adipocytes and primary porcine pre-adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. In the in vivo study, supplementation of SM powder (SMP) remarkably attenuated fat accumulation in HFD-induced obese rats. In addition, SMP supplementation improved lipid profiles in the serum and tissues of high-fat induced obese rats. Collectively, these data indicated that SME exhibited antiobesity effects by modulating adipogenesis and lipolysis. Furthermore, SMP could be developed as an obesity-induced metabolic syndrome treatment.


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