Identification of Novel Antiviral Compounds Targeting Entry of Hantaviruses

Autor: Jennifer Mayor, Giulia Torriani, Olivier Engler, Sylvia Rothenberger
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Viruses, Vol 13, Iss 4, p 685 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 13040685
1999-4915
DOI: 10.3390/v13040685
Popis: Hemorrhagic fever viruses, among them orthohantaviruses, arenaviruses and filoviruses, are responsible for some of the most severe human diseases and represent a serious challenge for public health. The current limited therapeutic options and available vaccines make the development of novel efficacious antiviral agents an urgent need. Inhibiting viral attachment and entry is a promising strategy for the development of new treatments and to prevent all subsequent steps in virus infection. Here, we developed a fluorescence-based screening assay for the identification of new antivirals against hemorrhagic fever virus entry. We screened a phytochemical library containing 320 natural compounds using a validated VSV pseudotype platform bearing the glycoprotein of the virus of interest and encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). EGFP expression allows the quantitative detection of infection and the identification of compounds affecting viral entry. We identified several hits against four pseudoviruses for the orthohantaviruses Hantaan (HTNV) and Andes (ANDV), the filovirus Ebola (EBOV) and the arenavirus Lassa (LASV). Two selected inhibitors, emetine dihydrochloride and tetrandrine, were validated with infectious pathogenic HTNV in a BSL-3 laboratory. This study provides potential therapeutics against emerging virus infection, and highlights the importance of drug repurposing.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals