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Geng J, Ren N, Yang C, Wang F, Huang D, Rodriguez S, Yuan Z, Xia H. Favipiravir Treatment Prolongs Survival in a Lethal BALB/c Mouse Model of Ebinur Lake Virus Infection. Viruses 2024; 16:631. [PMID: 38675972 PMCID: PMC11054260 DOI: 10.3390/v16040631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Orthobunyavirus is the largest and most diverse genus in the family Peribunyaviridae. Orthobunyaviruses are widely distributed globally and pose threats to human and animal health. Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV) is a newly classified Orthobunyavirus detected in China, Russia, and Kenya. This study explored the antiviral effects of two broad-spectrum antiviral drugs, favipiravir and ribavirin, in a BALB/c mouse model. Favipiravir significantly improved the clinical symptoms of infected mice, reduced viral titer and RNA copies in serum, and extended overall survival. The median survival times of mice in the vehicle- and favipiravir-treated groups were 5 and 7 days, respectively. Favipiravir significantly reduced virus titers 10- to 100-fold in sera at all three time points compared to vehicle-treated mice. And favipiravir treatment effectively reduced the virus copies by approximately 10-fold across the three time points, relative to vehicle-treated mice. The findings expand the antiviral spectrum of favipiravir for orthobunyaviruses in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingke Geng
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430200, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Nanjie Ren
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430200, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Cihan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430200, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430200, China
| | - Doudou Huang
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430200, China
| | - Sergio Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77551, USA
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430200, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Han Xia
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430200, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
- Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan 430207, China
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2
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Alkan C, O’Brien T, Kenyon V, Ikegami T. Computer-Selected Antiviral Compounds: Assessing In Vitro Efficacies against Rift Valley Fever Virus. Viruses 2024; 16:88. [PMID: 38257788 PMCID: PMC10818293 DOI: 10.3390/v16010088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever is a zoonotic viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, impacting both humans and livestock. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments for humans. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of chemical compounds targeting the Gc fusion mechanism. These compounds were identified through virtual screening of millions of commercially available small molecules using a structure-based artificial intelligence bioactivity predictor. In our experiments, a pretreatment with small molecule compounds revealed that 3 out of 94 selected compounds effectively inhibited the replication of the Rift Valley fever virus MP-12 strain in Vero cells. As anticipated, these compounds did not impede viral RNA replication when administered three hours after infection. However, significant inhibition of viral RNA replication occurred upon viral entry when cells were pretreated with these small molecules. Furthermore, these compounds exhibited significant inhibition against Arumowot virus, another phlebovirus, while showing no antiviral effects on tick-borne bandaviruses. Our study validates AI-based virtual high throughput screening as a rational approach for identifying effective antiviral candidates for Rift Valley fever virus and other bunyaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cigdem Alkan
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
| | - Terrence O’Brien
- Discovery Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA;
| | | | - Tetsuro Ikegami
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
- Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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3
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Chianese A, Zannella C, Palma F, Di Clemente L, Monti A, Doti N, De Filippis A, Galdiero M. Melittin-Related Peptides Interfere with Sandfly Fever Naples Virus Infection by Interacting with Heparan Sulphate. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2446. [PMID: 37894104 PMCID: PMC10609114 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging viruses pose an important global public health challenge, and early action is needed to control their spread. The Bunyaviridae family contains a great number of arboviruses which are potentially pathogenic for humans. For example, phleboviruses affect a large range of hosts, including humans and animals. Some infections usually have an asymptomatic course, but others lead to severe complications, such as Toscana virus, which is able to cause meningitis and encephalitis. Unfortunately, to date, no vaccines or antiviral treatments have been found. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of melittin-related peptides, namely the frog-derived RV-23 and AR-23, on sandfly fever Naples virus infection in vitro. Both peptides exhibited a strong antiviral activity by targeting the viral particles and blocking the virus-cell interaction. Their action was directed to an early phase of SFNV infection, in particular at viral adsorption on host cells, by interfering with the binding of common glycosaminoglycan receptors. Given the better antimicrobial behavior of AR-23 and RV-23 compared to melittin in terms of selectivity, our studies expand our understanding of the potential of these peptides as antimicrobials and stimulate further investigations in the direction of novel antiviral strategies against phlebovirus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Chianese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Carla Zannella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Palma
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Laura Di Clemente
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Anna De Filippis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Galdiero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
- Section of Virology and Microbiology, University Hospital of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
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4
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Chapman NS, Hulswit RJG, Westover JLB, Stass R, Paesen GC, Binshtein E, Reidy JX, Engdahl TB, Handal LS, Flores A, Gowen BB, Bowden TA, Crowe JE. Multifunctional human monoclonal antibody combination mediates protection against Rift Valley fever virus at low doses. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5650. [PMID: 37704627 PMCID: PMC10499838 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41171-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The zoonotic Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) can cause severe disease in humans and has pandemic potential, yet no approved vaccine or therapy exists. Here we describe a dual-mechanism human monoclonal antibody (mAb) combination against RVFV that is effective at minimal doses in a lethal mouse model of infection. We structurally analyze and characterize the binding mode of a prototypical potent Gn domain-A-binding antibody that blocks attachment and of an antibody that inhibits infection by abrogating the fusion process as previously determined. Surprisingly, the Gn domain-A antibody does not directly block RVFV Gn interaction with the host receptor low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) as determined by a competitive assay. This study identifies a rationally designed combination of human mAbs deserving of future investigation for use in humans against RVFV infection. Using a two-pronged mechanistic approach, we demonstrate the potent efficacy of a rationally designed combination mAb therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel S Chapman
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Ruben J G Hulswit
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Jonna L B Westover
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Robert Stass
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Guido C Paesen
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Elad Binshtein
- The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Joseph X Reidy
- The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Taylor B Engdahl
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Laura S Handal
- The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Alejandra Flores
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Brian B Gowen
- Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Thomas A Bowden
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - James E Crowe
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
- The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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5
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Groseth A, Gardner D, Meade-White K, Amler S, Ebihara H. Immunocompetent hamsters as a model for orthobunyavirus-induced neuroinvasion and neuropathology. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011355. [PMID: 37235549 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bunyavirus infections, including those caused by Bunyamwera serogroup orthobunyaviruses, represent a significant and yet likely still vastly underappreciated cause of mild to moderate human febrile infections. In severe cases, these infections can also cause neurological disease, particularly meningitis and encephalitis, and infection can even be fatal. However, with a few exceptions, information regarding the mechanisms underlying the neuroinvasion and neuropathogenesis of such infections is limited. This is due in part to a lack of animal models to facilitate such studies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In an effort to develop an immunocompetent model of infection with Bunyamwera serogroup orthobunyaviruses, we infected 4-6-week-old female hamsters via either the intraperitoneal or subcutaneous route with 106 pfu/animal of Bunyamwera virus (BUNV), Batai virus or Ngari virus. Only BUNV infection resulted in clinical disease, which was characterized by weight loss, lethargy and neurological signs (i.e. tremor of the head or limbs, loss of righting reflex, "waltzing"). While symptoms were of similar severity for both routes, they occurred more frequently following subcutaneous inoculation. Consistent with these clinical signs, both antigen staining and histopathological abnormalities were found extensively throughout the brain. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The reported hamster model of BUNV infection provides a new tool for studying orthobunyavirus infection, and particularly neuroinvasion and the development of neuropathology. This model is particularly significant because it makes use of immunologically competent animals and relies on a subcutaneous inoculation route that more closely mimics the natural infection route for arboviruses, thereby providing a more authentic cellular and immunological context at the initial site of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Groseth
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
- Laboratory for Arenavirus Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut-Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Don Gardner
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Kimberly Meade-White
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Susanne Amler
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut-Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Hideki Ebihara
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
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6
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Chakraborty S, Chauhan A. Fighting the flu: a brief review on anti-influenza agents. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev 2023:1-52. [PMID: 36946567 DOI: 10.1080/02648725.2023.2191081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
The influenza virus causes one of the most prevalent and lethal infectious viral diseases of the respiratory system; the disease progression varies from acute self-limiting mild fever to disease chronicity and death. Although both the preventive and treatment measures have been vital in protecting humans against seasonal epidemics or sporadic pandemics, there are several challenges to curb the influenza virus such as limited or poor cross-protection against circulating virus strains, moderate protection in immune-compromised patients, and rapid emergence of resistance. Currently, there are four US-FDA-approved anti-influenza drugs to treat flu infection, viz. Rapivab, Relenza, Tamiflu, and Xofluza. These drugs are classified based on their mode of action against the viral replication cycle with the first three being Neuraminidase inhibitors, and the fourth one targeting the viral polymerase. The emergence of the drug-resistant strains of influenza, however, underscores the need for continuous innovation towards development and discovery of new anti-influenza agents with enhanced antiviral effects, greater safety, and improved tolerability. Here in this review, we highlighted commercially available antiviral agents besides those that are at different stages of development including under clinical trials, with a brief account of their antiviral mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashwini Chauhan
- Department of Microbiology, Tripura University, Agartala, India
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Batiha GES, Moubarak M, Shaheen HM, Zakariya AM, Usman IM, Rauf A, Adhikari A, Dey A, Alexiou A, Hetta HF, Al-Gareeb AI, Al-Kuraishy HM. Favipiravir in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Is it Worth it? Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 2022; 25:2413-2428. [PMID: 35430987 DOI: 10.2174/1386207325666220414111840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Favipiravir is a potential antiviral drug undergoing clinical trials to manage various viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Favipiravir possesses antiviral properties against RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Unfortunately, these viruses do not have authorized antiviral drugs for the management of diseases resulting from their infection, hence the dire need to accentuate the discovery of antiviral drugs that are efficacious and have a broad spectrum. Favipiravir acts primarily by blocking inward and outward movements of the virus from cells. Favipiravir is a prodrug undergoing intracellular phosphorylation and ribosylation to form an active form, favipiravir-RTP, which binds viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Considering the novel mechanism of favipiravir action, especially in managing viral infections, it is vital to pay more attention to the promised favipiravir hold in the management of SARS-CoV-2, its efficacy, and dosage regimen, and interactions with other drugs. In conclusion, favipiravir possesses antiviral properties against RNA viruses, including COVID- 19. Favipiravir is effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection through inhibition of RdRp. Pre-clinical and large-scalp prospective studies are recommended for efficacy and long-term safety of favipiravir in COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaber El-Saber Batiha
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, AlBeheira, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Moubarak
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, AlBeheira, Egypt
| | - Hazem M Shaheen
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, AlBeheira, Egypt
| | - Ali M Zakariya
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sule Lamido University Kafin, Hausa, Nigeria
| | - Ibe M Usman
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda
| | - Abdur Rauf
- Department of Chemistry, University of Swabi, Swabi, Anbar, KP, Pakistan
| | - Achyut Adhikari
- Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Nepal
| | - Abhijit Dey
- Department. of Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, India
| | - Athanasios Alexiou
- Department of Science and Engineering, Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Australia and AFNP Med, Austria
| | - Helal F Hetta
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt
| | - Ali I Al-Gareeb
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medicine and Therapeutic, Medical Faculty, College of Medicine, Al-Mustansiriyah University, P.O. Box 14132, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Hayder M Al-Kuraishy
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medicine and Therapeutic, Medical Faculty, College of Medicine, Al-Mustansiriyah University, P.O. Box 14132, Baghdad, Iraq
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8
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Intranasal Exposure to Rift Valley Fever Virus Live-Attenuated Strains Leads to High Mortality Rate in Immunocompetent Mice. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112470. [PMID: 36366567 PMCID: PMC9694885 DOI: 10.3390/v14112470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a pathogenic arthropod-borne virus that can cause serious illness in both ruminants and humans. The virus can be transmitted by an arthropod bite or contact with contaminated fluids or tissues. Two live-attenuated veterinary vaccines-the Smithburn (SB) and Clone 13 (Cl.13)-are currently used during epizootic events in Africa. However, their residual pathogenicity (i.e., SB) or potential of reversion (i.e., Cl.13) causes important adverse effects, strongly limiting their use in the field. In this study, we infected immunocompetent mice with SB or Cl.13 by a subcutaneous or an intranasal inoculation. Interestingly, we found that, unlike the subcutaneous infection, the intranasal inoculation led to a high mortality rate. In addition, we detected high titers and viral N antigen levels in the brain of both the SB- and Cl.13-infected mice. Overall, we unveil a clear correlation between the pathogenicity and the route of administration of both SB and Cl.13, with the intranasal inoculation leading to a stronger neurovirulence and higher mortality rate than the subcutaneous infection.
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9
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Pulmonary Delivery of Favipiravir in Rats Reaches High Local Concentrations without Causing Oxidative Lung Injury or Systemic Side Effects. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14112375. [DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14112375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Favipiravir displays a rapid viral clearance, a high recovery rate and broad therapeutic safety; however, its oral administration was associated with systemic side effects in susceptible patients. Considering that the pulmonary route could provide a high drug concentration, and a safer application with less absorption into systemic circulation, it was aimed to elucidate whether favipiravir delivered via soft-mist inhaler has any deleterious effects on lung, liver and kidney tissues of healthy rats. Wistar albino rats of both sexes (n = 72) were placed in restrainers, and were given either saline or favipiravir (1, 2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg in 1 mL saline) by inhalation within 2 min for 5 consecutive days. On the 6th day, electrocardiographic recording was obtained, and cardiac blood and lung tissues were collected. Favipiravir did not alter cardiac rhythm, blood cell counts, serum levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, urea or uric acid, and did not cause any significant changes in the pulmonary malondialdehyde, myeloperoxidase activity or antioxidant glutathione levels. Our data revealed that pulmonary use of favipiravir via soft-mist inhaler enables a high local concentration compared to plasma without oxidative lung injury or cardiac or hepatorenal dysfunction.
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Geerling E, Murphy V, Mai MC, Stone ET, Casals AG, Hassert M, O’Dea AT, Cao F, Donlin MJ, Elagawany M, Elgendy B, Pardali V, Giannakopoulou E, Zoidis G, Schiavone DV, Berkowitz AJ, Agyemang NB, Murelli RP, Tavis JE, Pinto AK, Brien JD. Metal coordinating inhibitors of Rift Valley fever virus replication. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274266. [PMID: 36112605 PMCID: PMC9481026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a veterinary and human pathogen and is an agent of bioterrorism concern. Currently, RVFV treatment is limited to supportive care, so new drugs to control RVFV infection are urgently needed. RVFV is a member of the order Bunyavirales, whose replication depends on the enzymatic activity of the viral L protein. Screening for RVFV inhibitors among compounds with divalent cation-coordinating motifs similar to known viral nuclease inhibitors identified 47 novel RVFV inhibitors with selective indexes from 1.1–103 and 50% effective concentrations of 1.2–56 μM in Vero cells, primarily α-Hydroxytropolones and N-Hydroxypyridinediones. Inhibitor activity and selective index was validated in the human cell line A549. To evaluate specificity, select compounds were tested against a second Bunyavirus, La Crosse Virus (LACV), and the flavivirus Zika (ZIKV). These data indicate that the α-Hydroxytropolone and N-Hydroxypyridinedione chemotypes should be investigated in the future to determine their mechanism(s) of action allowing further development as therapeutics for RVFV and LACV, and these chemotypes should be evaluated for activity against related pathogens, including Hantaan virus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Geerling
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Valerie Murphy
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Maria C. Mai
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - E. Taylor Stone
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Andreu Gazquez Casals
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Mariah Hassert
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Austin T. O’Dea
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Feng Cao
- John Cochran Division, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Maureen J. Donlin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Mohamed Elagawany
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine and University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Bahaa Elgendy
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine and University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Vasiliki Pardali
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Erofili Giannakopoulou
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Grigoris Zoidis
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Daniel V. Schiavone
- Department of Chemistry and The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Alex J. Berkowitz
- Department of Chemistry and The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Nana B. Agyemang
- Department of Chemistry and The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Ryan P. Murelli
- Department of Chemistry and The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - John E. Tavis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Amelia K. Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - James D. Brien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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11
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Kandeel M, Al-Mubarak AIA. Camel viral diseases: Current diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive strategies. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:915475. [PMID: 36032287 PMCID: PMC9403476 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.915475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Many pathogenic viruses infect camels, generally regarded as especially hardy livestock because of their ability to thrive in harsh and arid conditions. Transmission of these viruses has been facilitated by the commercialization of camel milk and meat and their byproducts, and vaccines are needed to prevent viruses from spreading. There is a paucity of information on the effectiveness of viral immunizations in camels, even though numerous studies have looked into the topic. More research is needed to create effective vaccines and treatments for camels. Because Camels are carriers of coronavirus, capable of producing a powerful immune response to recurrent coronavirus infections. As a result, camels may be a suitable model for viral vaccine trials since vaccines are simple to create and can prevent viral infection transfer from animals to humans. In this review, we present available data on the diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventative strategies for the following viral diseases in camels, most of which result in significant economic loss: camelpox, Rift Valley fever, peste des petits ruminants, bovine viral diarrhea, bluetongue, rotavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and COVID-19. Although suitable vaccines have been developed for controlling viral infections and perhaps interrupting the transmission of the virus from the affected animals to blood-feeding vectors, there is a paucity of information on the effectiveness of viral immunizations in camels and more research is needed. Recent therapeutic trials that include specific antivirals or supportive care have helped manage viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Kandeel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
- *Correspondence: Mahmoud Kandeel
| | - Abdullah I. A. Al-Mubarak
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
- Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia
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12
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Fatima I, Ahmad S, Alamri MA, Mirza MU, Tahir Ul Qamar M, Rehman A, Shahid F, Alatawi EA, Alkhayl FFA, Al-Megrin WA, Almatroudi A. Discovery of Rift Valley fever virus natural pan-inhibitors by targeting its multiple key proteins through computational approaches. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9260. [PMID: 35662263 PMCID: PMC9163866 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13267-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic arbovirus and pathogenic to both humans and animals. Currently, no proven effective RVFV drugs or licensed vaccine are available for human or animal use. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop effective treatment options to control this viral infection. RVFV glycoprotein N (GN), glycoprotein C (GC), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins are attractive antiviral drug targets due to their critical roles in RVFV replication. In present study, an integrated docking-based virtual screening of more than 6000 phytochemicals with known antiviral activities against these conserved RVFV proteins was conducted. The top five hit compounds, calyxin C, calyxin D, calyxin J, gericudranins A, and blepharocalyxin C displayed optimal binding against all three target proteins. Moreover, multiple parameters from the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and MM/GBSA analysis confirmed the stability of protein-ligand complexes and revealed that these compounds may act as potential pan-inhibitors of RVFV replication. Our computational analyses may contribute toward the development of promising effective drugs against RVFV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Israr Fatima
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Mubarak A Alamri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Usman Mirza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | | | - Abdur Rehman
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Farah Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Eid A Alatawi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, 71491, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faris F Aba Alkhayl
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Dentistry and Pharmacy, Buraydah Colleges, Buraydah, 51418, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wafa Abdullah Al-Megrin
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Almatroudi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia.
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13
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Islam K, Carlsson M, Enquist PA, Qian W, Marttila M, Strand M, Ahlm C, Evander M. Structural Modifications and Biological Evaluations of Rift Valley Fever Virus Inhibitors Identified from Chemical Library Screening. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:6854-6868. [PMID: 35252679 PMCID: PMC8892858 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging high-priority pathogen endemic in Africa with pandemic potential. There is no specific treatment or approved antiviral drugs for the RVFV. We previously developed a cell-based high-throughput assay to screen small molecules targeting the RVFV and identified a potential effective antiviral compound (1-N-(2-(biphenyl-4-yloxy)ethyl)propane-1,3-diamine) as a lead compound. Here, we investigated how structural modifications of the lead compound affected the biological properties and the antiviral effect against the RVFV. We found that the length of the 2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethyl chain of the compound was important for the compound to retain its antiviral activity. The antiviral activity was similar when the 2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethyl chain was replaced with a butyl piperazine chain. However, we could improve the cytotoxicity profile of the lead compound by changing the phenyl piperazine linker from the para-position (compound 9a) to the meta-position (compound 13a). Results from time-of-addition studies suggested that compound 13a might be active during virus post-entry and/or the replication phase of the virus life cycle and seemed to affect the K+ channel. The modifications improved the properties of our lead compound, and our data suggest that 13a is a promising candidate to evaluate further as a therapeutic agent for RVFV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koushikul Islam
- Department
of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 85, Sweden
| | - Marcus Carlsson
- Department
of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | | | - Weixing Qian
- Department
of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - Marko Marttila
- Department
of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 85, Sweden
| | - Mårten Strand
- Department
of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 85, Sweden
| | - Clas Ahlm
- Department
of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 85, Sweden
| | - Magnus Evander
- Department
of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 85, Sweden
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14
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Johnson KN, Kalveram B, Smith JK, Zhang L, Juelich T, Atkins C, Ikegami T, Freiberg AN. Tilorone-Dihydrochloride Protects against Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection and Disease in the Mouse Model. Microorganisms 2021; 10:microorganisms10010092. [PMID: 35056541 PMCID: PMC8781158 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10010092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease endemic to Africa and the Middle East that can affect humans and ruminant livestock. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the treatment of severe RVF disease in humans. Tilorone-dihydrochloride (Tilorone) is a broad-spectrum antiviral candidate that has previously shown efficacy against a wide range of DNA and RNA viruses, and which is clinically utilized for the treatment of respiratory infections in Russia and other Eastern European countries. Here, we evaluated the antiviral activity of Tilorone against Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). In vitro, Tilorone inhibited both vaccine (MP-12) and virulent (ZH501) strains of RVFV at low micromolar concentrations. In the mouse model, treatment with Tilorone significantly improved survival outcomes in BALB/c mice challenged with a lethal dose of RVFV ZH501. Treatment with 30 mg/kg/day resulted in 80% survival when administered immediately after infection. In post-exposure prophylaxis, Tilorone resulted in 30% survival at one day after infection when administered at 45 mg/kg/day. These findings demonstrate that Tilorone has potent antiviral efficacy against RVFV infection in vitro and in vivo and supports further development of Tilorone as a potential antiviral therapeutic for treatment of RVFV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra N. Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
| | - Birte Kalveram
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (B.K.); (J.K.S.); (L.Z.); (T.J.); (C.A.); (T.I.)
| | - Jennifer K. Smith
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (B.K.); (J.K.S.); (L.Z.); (T.J.); (C.A.); (T.I.)
| | - Lihong Zhang
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (B.K.); (J.K.S.); (L.Z.); (T.J.); (C.A.); (T.I.)
| | - Terry Juelich
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (B.K.); (J.K.S.); (L.Z.); (T.J.); (C.A.); (T.I.)
| | - Colm Atkins
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (B.K.); (J.K.S.); (L.Z.); (T.J.); (C.A.); (T.I.)
| | - Tetsuro Ikegami
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (B.K.); (J.K.S.); (L.Z.); (T.J.); (C.A.); (T.I.)
- Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Alexander N. Freiberg
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (B.K.); (J.K.S.); (L.Z.); (T.J.); (C.A.); (T.I.)
- Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Correspondence:
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15
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Santos GC, Martins LM, Bregadiolli BA, Moreno VF, Silva‐Filho LC, Silva BHST. Heterocyclic compounds as antiviral drugs: Synthesis, structure–activity relationship and traditional applications. J Heterocycl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jhet.4349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Vitor Fernandes Moreno
- School of Sciences, Department of Chemistry São Paulo State University (UNESP) Bauru Brazil
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16
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Petrova V, Kristiansen P, Norheim G, Yimer SA. Rift valley fever: diagnostic challenges and investment needs for vaccine development. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 5:bmjgh-2020-002694. [PMID: 32816810 PMCID: PMC7437696 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Rift valley fever virus (RVFV) is a causative agent of a viral zoonosis that constitutes a major clinical burden in wild and domestic ruminants. The virus causes major outbreaks in livestock (sheep, goats, cattle and camels) and can be transmitted to humans by contaminated animal products or via arthropod vectors. Human-to-human transmission has not been reported to date, but spill-over events from animals have led to outbreaks in humans in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Currently, there is no licensed human vaccine against RVFV and the virus is listed as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) due to the high epidemic potential and the lack of effective countermeasures. Multiple large RVFV outbreaks have been reported since the virus was discovered. During the last two decades, over 4000 cases and ~1000 deaths have been reported. The lack of systematic surveillance to estimate the true burden and incidence of human RVF disease is a challenge for planning future vaccine efficacy evaluation. This creates a need for robust diagnostic methodologies that can be deployed in remote regions to aid case confirmation, assessment of seroprevalence as well as pathogen surveillance required for the different stages of vaccine evaluation. Here, we perform comprehensive landscaping of the available diagnostic solutions for detection of RVFV in humans. Based on the identified gaps in the currently available in-house and commercially available methods, we highlight the specific investment needs for diagnostics that are critical for accelerating the development of effective vaccines against RVFV.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul Kristiansen
- Vaccine Research and Development, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Solomon A Yimer
- Vaccine Research and Development, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway
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17
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Matz K, Emanuel J, Callison J, Gardner D, Rosenke R, Mercado-Hernandez R, Williamson BN, Feldmann H, Marzi A. Favipiravir (T-705) Protects IFNAR -/- Mice against Lethal Zika Virus Infection in a Sex-Dependent Manner. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9061178. [PMID: 34072604 PMCID: PMC8227069 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9061178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keesha Matz
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (K.M.); (J.E.); (J.C.); (R.M.-H.), (B.N.W.), (H.F.)
| | - Jackson Emanuel
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (K.M.); (J.E.); (J.C.); (R.M.-H.), (B.N.W.), (H.F.)
| | - Julie Callison
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (K.M.); (J.E.); (J.C.); (R.M.-H.), (B.N.W.), (H.F.)
| | - Don Gardner
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (D.G.); (R.R.)
| | - Rebecca Rosenke
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (D.G.); (R.R.)
| | - Reinaldo Mercado-Hernandez
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (K.M.); (J.E.); (J.C.); (R.M.-H.), (B.N.W.), (H.F.)
| | - Brandi N. Williamson
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (K.M.); (J.E.); (J.C.); (R.M.-H.), (B.N.W.), (H.F.)
| | - Heinz Feldmann
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (K.M.); (J.E.); (J.C.); (R.M.-H.), (B.N.W.), (H.F.)
| | - Andrea Marzi
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (K.M.); (J.E.); (J.C.); (R.M.-H.), (B.N.W.), (H.F.)
- Correspondence:
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18
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Li H, Jiang XM, Cui N, Yuan C, Zhang SF, Lu QB, Yang ZD, Xin QL, Song YB, Zhang XA, Liu HZ, Du J, Fan XJ, Yuan L, Yuan YM, Wang Z, Wang J, Zhang L, Zhang DN, Wang ZB, Dai K, Bai JY, Hao ZN, Fan H, Fang LQ, Xiao G, Yang Y, Peng K, Wang HQ, Li JX, Zhang LK, Liu W. Clinical effect and antiviral mechanism of T-705 in treating severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:145. [PMID: 33859168 PMCID: PMC8050330 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00541-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus (SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne virus with high fatality and an expanding endemic. Currently, effective anti-SFTSV intervention remains unavailable. Favipiravir (T-705) was recently reported to show in vitro and in animal model antiviral efficacy against SFTSV. Here, we conducted a single-blind, randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of T-705 in treating SFTS (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry website, number ChiCTR1900023350). From May to August 2018, laboratory-confirmed SFTS patients were recruited from a designated hospital and randomly assigned to receive oral T-705 in combination with supportive care or supportive care only. Fatal outcome occurred in 9.5% (7/74) of T-705 treated patients and 18.3% (13/71) of controls (odds ratio, 0.466, 95% CI, 0.174-1.247). Cox regression showed a significant reduction in case fatality rate (CFR) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.366 (95% CI, 0.142-0.944). Among the low-viral load subgroup (RT-PCR cycle threshold ≥26), T-705 treatment significantly reduced CFR from 11.5 to 1.6% (P = 0.029), while no between-arm difference was observed in the high-viral load subgroup (RT-PCR cycle threshold <26). The T-705-treated group showed shorter viral clearance, lower incidence of hemorrhagic signs, and faster recovery of laboratory abnormities compared with the controls. The in vitro and animal experiments demonstrated that the antiviral efficacies of T-705 were proportionally induced by SFTSV mutation rates, particularly from two transition mutation types. The mutation analyses on T-705-treated serum samples disclosed a partially consistent mutagenesis pattern as those of the in vitro or animal experiments in reducing the SFTSV viral loads, further supporting the anti-SFTSV effect of T-705, especially for the low-viral loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xia-Ming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Ning Cui
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Chun Yuan
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Shao-Fei Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Qing-Bin Lu
- School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhen-Dong Yang
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Qin-Lin Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Ya-Bin Song
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Ai Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Hai-Zhou Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Juan Du
- School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xue-Juan Fan
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Lan Yuan
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Yi-Mei Yuan
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Zhen Wang
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Juan Wang
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Lan Zhang
- The 154 Hospital, People's Liberation Army, Xinyang, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Dong-Na Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhi-Bo Wang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Ke Dai
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jie-Ying Bai
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhao-Nian Hao
- Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Hang Fan
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Li-Qun Fang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Biostatistics and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ke Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Hong-Quan Wang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jian-Xiong Li
- Department of Cancer, People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China.
| | - Lei-Ke Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China.
| | - Wei Liu
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing, P. R. China.
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Vector Borne and Natural Focus Infectious Diseases, Beijing, P. R. China.
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19
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Boyles DA, Schwarz MM, Albe JR, McMillen CM, O'Malley KJ, Reed DS, Hartman AL. Development of Rift valley fever encephalitis in rats is mediated by early infection of olfactory epithelium and neuroinvasion across the cribriform plate. J Gen Virol 2021; 102:001522. [PMID: 33231535 PMCID: PMC8116942 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The zoonotic emerging Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) causes sporadic disease in livestock and humans throughout Africa and the Saudi Arabian peninsula. Infection of people with RVFV can occur through mosquito bite or mucosal exposure during butchering or milking of infected livestock. Disease typically presents as a self-limiting fever; however, in rare cases, hepatitis, encephalitis and ocular disease may occur. Recent studies have illuminated the neuropathogenic mechanisms of RVFV in a rat aerosol infection model. Neurological disease in rats is characterized by breakdown of the blood-brain barrier late in infection, infiltration of leukocytes to the central nervous system (CNS) and massive viral replication in the brain. However, the route of RVFV entry into the CNS after inhalational exposure remains unknown. Here, we visualized the entire nasal olfactory route from snout to brain after RVFV infection using RNA in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence microscopy. We found widespread RVFV-infected cells within the olfactory epithelium, across the cribriform plate, and in the glomerular region of the olfactory bulb within 2 days of infection. These results indicate that the olfactory tract is a major route of infection of the brain after inhalational exposure. A better understanding of potential neuroinvasion pathways can support the design of more effective therapeutic regiments for the treatment of neurological disease caused by RVFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devin A. Boyles
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Madeline M. Schwarz
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Joseph R. Albe
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Cynthia M. McMillen
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Douglas S. Reed
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Amy L. Hartman
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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20
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Łagocka R, Dziedziejko V, Kłos P, Pawlik A. Favipiravir in Therapy of Viral Infections. J Clin Med 2021; 10:E273. [PMID: 33451007 PMCID: PMC7828521 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10020273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Favipiravir (FPV) is a novel antiviral drug acting as a competitive inhibitor of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), preventing viral transcription and replication. FPV was approved in Japan in 2014 for therapy of influenza unresponsive to standard antiviral therapies. FPV was also used in the therapy of Ebola virus disease (EVD) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetic parameters, toxicity, and adverse effects of FPV, as well as clinical studies evaluating the use of FPV in the therapy of influenza virus (IV) infection, EVD, and SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with its effectiveness in treating other human RNA infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryta Łagocka
- Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Violetta Dziedziejko
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (V.D.); (P.K.)
| | - Patrycja Kłos
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (V.D.); (P.K.)
| | - Andrzej Pawlik
- Department of Physiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland
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21
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Jia X, Ganter B, Meier C. Improving properties of the nucleobase analogs T-705/T-1105 as potential antiviral. ANNUAL REPORTS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 2021; 57:1-47. [PMID: 34728864 PMCID: PMC8553380 DOI: 10.1016/bs.armc.2021.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In this minireview we describe our work on the improvement of the nucleobase analogs Favipiravir (T-705) und its non-fluorinated derivative T-1105 as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 active compounds. Both nucleobases were converted into nucleotides and then included in our nucleotide prodrugs technologies cycloSal-monophosphates, DiPPro-nucleoside diphosphates and TriPPPro-nucleoside triphosphates. Particularly the DiPPro-derivatives of T-1105-RDP proved to be very active against influenza viruses. T-1105-derivatives in general were found to be more antivirally active as compared to their T-705 counterpart. This may be due to the low chemical stability of all ribosylated derivatives of T-705. The ribosyltriphosphate derivative of T-1105 was studied for the potential to act as a inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and was found to be an extremely potent compound causing lethal mutagenesis. The pronucleotide technologies, the chemical synthesis, the biophysical properties and the biological effects of the compounds will be addressed as well.
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22
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Hashemian SM, Farhadi T, Velayati AA. A review on favipiravir: the properties, function, and usefulness to treat COVID-19. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2020; 19:1029-1037. [PMID: 33372567 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2021.1866545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION At this time, there is no specific therapeutic or vaccine for treatment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Hence, available drugs for treatment of other viral infections may be useful to treat COVID-19. AREAS COVERED The focus of the current review was studying the main characteristics of favipiravir and its usefulness to treat COVID-19. An electronic search was done by using Pubmed and Google scholar. EXPERT OPINION Based on the mechanism of action and safety of favipiravir, the drug may be a promising candidate for compassionate use against the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Favipiravir has a wide range of activity against many single-stranded RNA viruses, is well tolerated in humans and has a high barrier to resistance. However, high doses of the agent are necessary to obtain an efficient antiviral activity. Favipiravir is teratogen in pregnant women and associated with the hyperuricemia. Therefore, the administration of the drug should be well controlled. Investigating the antiviral prophylactic potency of favipiravir and search for its pro-drugs and/or analogs showing improved activity and/or safety are critical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed MohammadReza Hashemian
- Clinical Tuberculosis and Epidemiology Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center (CRDRC), National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tayebeh Farhadi
- Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center (CRDRC), National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Akbar Velayati
- Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center (CRDRC), National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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23
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Hushmandi K, Bokaie S, Hashemi M, Moghadam ER, Raei M, Hashemi F, Bagheri M, Habtemariam S, Nabavi SM. A review of medications used to control and improve the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 patients. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 887:173568. [PMID: 32956644 PMCID: PMC7501068 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In December 2019, an unprecedented outbreak of pneumonia associated with a novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China. The virus that caused the disease was officially named by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). According to the high transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2, it became a global pandemic and public health emergency within few months. Since SARS-CoV-2 is genetically 80% homologous with the SARS-CoVs family, it is hypothesized that medications developed for the treatment of SARS-CoVs may be useful in the control and management of SARS-CoV-2. In this regard, some medication being tested in clinical trials and in vitro studies include anti-viral RNA polymerase inhibitors, HIV-protease inhibitors, anti-inflammatory agents, angiotensin converting enzyme type 2 (ACE 2) blockers, and some other novel medications. In this communication, we reviewed the general characteristics of medications, medical usage, mechanism of action, as well as SARS-CoV-2 related trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiavash Hushmandi
- Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Division of Epidemiology & Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Saied Bokaie
- Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Division of Epidemiology & Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehrdad Hashemi
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ebrahim Rahmani Moghadam
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Raei
- Health Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Farid Hashemi
- Kazerun Health Technology Incubator, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mahdi Bagheri
- Health Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Solomon Habtemariam
- Pharmacognosy Research Laboratories and Herbal Analysis Services, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham-Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, United Kingdom
| | - Seyed Mohammad Nabavi
- Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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24
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Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a pathogen of both humans and livestock in Africa and the Middle East. Severe human disease is associated with hepatitis and/or encephalitis. Current pathogenesis studies rely on rodents and nonhuman primates, which have advantages and disadvantages. We evaluated disease progression in Mustela putorius furo (the ferret) following intradermal (i.d.) or intranasal (i.n.) infection. Infected ferrets developed hyperpyrexia, weight loss, lymphopenia, and hypoalbuminemia. Three of four ferrets inoculated intranasally with RVFV developed central nervous system (CNS) disease that manifested as seizure, ataxia, and/or hind limb weakness at 8 to 11 days postinfection (dpi). Animals with clinical CNS disease had transient viral RNAemia, high viral RNA loads in the brain, and histopathological evidence of encephalitis. The ferret model will facilitate our understanding of how RVFV accesses the CNS and has utility for the evaluation of vaccines and/or therapeutics in preventing RVFV CNS disease.IMPORTANCE Animal models of viral disease are very important for understanding how viruses make people sick and for testing out drugs and vaccines to see if they can prevent disease. In this study, we identify the ferret as a model of encephalitis caused by Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). This novel model will allow researchers to evaluate ways to prevent RVFV encephalitis.
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25
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Kaptein SJF, Jacobs S, Langendries L, Seldeslachts L, Ter Horst S, Liesenborghs L, Hens B, Vergote V, Heylen E, Barthelemy K, Maas E, De Keyzer C, Bervoets L, Rymenants J, Van Buyten T, Zhang X, Abdelnabi R, Pang J, Williams R, Thibaut HJ, Dallmeier K, Boudewijns R, Wouters J, Augustijns P, Verougstraete N, Cawthorne C, Breuer J, Solas C, Weynand B, Annaert P, Spriet I, Vande Velde G, Neyts J, Rocha-Pereira J, Delang L. Favipiravir at high doses has potent antiviral activity in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters, whereas hydroxychloroquine lacks activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:26955-26965. [PMID: 33037151 PMCID: PMC7604414 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2014441117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly spread around the globe after its emergence in Wuhan in December 2019. With no specific therapeutic and prophylactic options available, the virus has infected millions of people of which more than half a million succumbed to the viral disease, COVID-19. The urgent need for an effective treatment together with a lack of small animal infection models has led to clinical trials using repurposed drugs without preclinical evidence of their in vivo efficacy. We established an infection model in Syrian hamsters to evaluate the efficacy of small molecules on both infection and transmission. Treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters with a low dose of favipiravir or hydroxychloroquine with(out) azithromycin resulted in, respectively, a mild or no reduction in virus levels. However, high doses of favipiravir significantly reduced infectious virus titers in the lungs and markedly improved lung histopathology. Moreover, a high dose of favipiravir decreased virus transmission by direct contact, whereas hydroxychloroquine failed as prophylaxis. Pharmacokinetic modeling of hydroxychloroquine suggested that the total lung exposure to the drug did not cause the failure. Our data on hydroxychloroquine (together with previous reports in macaques and ferrets) thus provide no scientific basis for the use of this drug in COVID-19 patients. In contrast, the results with favipiravir demonstrate that an antiviral drug at nontoxic doses exhibits a marked protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 in a small animal model. Clinical studies are required to assess whether a similar antiviral effect is achievable in humans without toxic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne J F Kaptein
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium;
| | - Sofie Jacobs
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lana Langendries
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laura Seldeslachts
- Biomedical MRI and Molecular Small Animal Imaging Centre, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sebastiaan Ter Horst
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laurens Liesenborghs
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Hens
- Drug Delivery & Disposition, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valentijn Vergote
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elisabeth Heylen
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karine Barthelemy
- Unité des Virus Emergents, Aix Marseille University, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) 190, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) 1207, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Elke Maas
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Carolien De Keyzer
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lindsey Bervoets
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jasper Rymenants
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tina Van Buyten
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Xin Zhang
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rana Abdelnabi
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Juanita Pang
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, WC1N 1EH London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Williams
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, WC1N 1EH London, United Kingdom
| | - Hendrik Jan Thibaut
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kai Dallmeier
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robbert Boudewijns
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jens Wouters
- Molecular Small Animal Imaging Centre, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Augustijns
- Drug Delivery & Disposition, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nick Verougstraete
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christopher Cawthorne
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Judith Breuer
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, WC1N 1EH London, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Solas
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille University, Unité des Virus Emergents, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) 190, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) 1207, Laboratoire de Pharmacocinétique et Toxicologie, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Birgit Weynand
- Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pieter Annaert
- Drug Delivery & Disposition, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isabel Spriet
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven-University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Greetje Vande Velde
- Biomedical MRI and Molecular Small Animal Imaging Centre, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Global Virus Network, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Joana Rocha-Pereira
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium;
| | - Leen Delang
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium;
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26
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Zhou J, Huang J. Current Findings Regarding Natural Components With Potential Anti-2019-nCoV Activity. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:589. [PMID: 32719799 PMCID: PMC7351523 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19, a novel coronavirus pneumonia (named by the World Health Organization, WHO), has spread widely since the end of 2019. Research on synthetic drugs and vaccines has become a focus of attention in China and other countries, as such approaches are regarded as key tools for disease prevention and control; however, the development of these therapeutics will take months, or even years. Under such circumstances, development of coronavirus specific therapeutics is urgent. For this specific indication, the rapid performance of natural products, such as plant compounds, herbal extracts, and traditional Chinese medicine, could contribute as alternative measures. Recent investigations have provided evidence that these natural products are potential candidates for development as therapeutic agents against the virus that causes COVID-19, 2019-nCoV. Targeting the structural proteins or cellular receptors of 2019-nCoV, including coronavirus chymotrypsin-like (3CLpro or Mpro), helicase (nsP13), S protein, and human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), holds promise for preventing infection. In this review, we summarize some representative natural products and their active components that have potential anti-2019-nCoV effects. We focus on the basic structural elements of 2019-nCoV, its main mechanisms of action, and the feasibility and potential of products to inhibit the novel coronavirus. In addition, the relative advantages, additional functions, and precautions that should be used with typical natural products are also discussed. The aim is to make the case that natural products could be a valuable pool for the development of active compounds for treating 2019-nCoV infection, which may contribute to mitigation of the spread of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhou
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jie Huang
- Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Qingdao, China
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27
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Fang QQ, Huang WJ, Li XY, Cheng YH, Tan MJ, Liu J, Wei HJ, Meng Y, Wang DY. Effectiveness of favipiravir (T-705) against wild-type and oseltamivir-resistant influenza B virus in mice. Virology 2020; 545:1-9. [PMID: 32174453 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of resistant mutants to the wildly used neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) makes the development of novel drugs necessary. Favipiravir (T-705) is one of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors developed in recent years. To examine the efficacy of T-705 against influenza B virus infections in vivo, C57BL/6 mice infected with wild-type or oseltamivir-resistant influenza B/Memphis/20/96 viruses were treated with T-705. Starting 2 h post inoculation (hpi), T-705 was orally administered to mice BID at dosages of 50, 150, or 300 mg/kg/day for 5 days. Oseltamivir was used as control. Here, we showed that T-705 protected mice from lethal infection in a dose-dependent manner. T-705 administration also significantly reduced viral loads and suppressed pulmonary pathology. In addition, phenotypic assays demonstrated that no T-705-resistant viruses emerged after T-705 treatment. In conclusion, T-705 can be effective to protect mice from lethal infection with both wild-type and oseltamivir-resistant influenza B viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong-Qiong Fang
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Wei-Juan Huang
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xi-Yan Li
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yan-Hui Cheng
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Min-Ju Tan
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Jia Liu
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - He-Jiang Wei
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yao Meng
- Shaanxi Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Da-Yan Wang
- Chinese National Influenza Center, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Beijing, 102206, China.
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28
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Shiraki K, Daikoku T. Favipiravir, an anti-influenza drug against life-threatening RNA virus infections. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 209:107512. [PMID: 32097670 PMCID: PMC7102570 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 292] [Impact Index Per Article: 73.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Favipiravir has been developed as an anti-influenza drug and licensed as an anti-influenza drug in Japan. Additionally, favipiravir is being stockpiled for 2 million people as a countermeasure for novel influenza strains. This drug functions as a chain terminator at the site of incorporation of the viral RNA and reduces the viral load. Favipiravir cures all mice in a lethal influenza infection model, while oseltamivir fails to cure the animals. Thus, favipiravir contributes to curing animals with lethal infection. In addition to influenza, favipiravir has a broad spectrum of anti-RNA virus activities in vitro and efficacies in animal models with lethal RNA viruses and has been used for treatment of human infection with life-threatening Ebola virus, Lassa virus, rabies, and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. The best feature of favipiravir as an antiviral agent is the apparent lack of generation of favipiravir-resistant viruses. Favipiravir alone maintains its therapeutic efficacy from the first to the last patient in an influenza pandemic or an epidemic lethal RNA virus infection. Favipiravir is expected to be an important therapeutic agent for severe influenza, the next pandemic influenza strain, and other severe RNA virus infections for which standard treatments are not available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimiyasu Shiraki
- Senri Kinran University and Department of Virology, University of Toyama, Japan.
| | - Tohru Daikoku
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokuriku University, Japan
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29
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Javelle E, Lesueur A, Pommier de Santi V, de Laval F, Lefebvre T, Holweck G, Durand GA, Leparc-Goffart I, Texier G, Simon F. The challenging management of Rift Valley Fever in humans: literature review of the clinical disease and algorithm proposal. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2020; 19:4. [PMID: 31969141 PMCID: PMC6977312 DOI: 10.1186/s12941-020-0346-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is an emerging zoonotic arbovirus with a complex cycle of transmission that makes difficult the prediction of its expansion. Recent outbreaks outside Africa have led to rediscover the human disease but it remains poorly known. The wide spectrum of acute and delayed manifestations with potential unfavorable outcome much complicate the management of suspected cases and prediction of morbidity and mortality during an outbreak. We reviewed literature data on bio-clinical characteristics and treatments of RVF human illness. We identified gaps in the field and provided a practical algorithm to assist clinicians in the cases assessment, determination of setting of care and prolonged follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Javelle
- Laveran Military Teaching Hospital, CS500413384, Marseille Cedex 13, France. .,IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France.
| | - Alexandre Lesueur
- Laveran Military Teaching Hospital, CS500413384, Marseille Cedex 13, France
| | - Vincent Pommier de Santi
- IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France.,French Armed Forces Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health (CESPA), Marseille, France
| | - Franck de Laval
- French Armed Forces Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health (CESPA), Marseille, France.,INSERM, IRD, SESSTIM, Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l'Information Médicale, Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France
| | - Thibault Lefebvre
- French Military Health Service, RSMA Medical Unit, Paris, Mayotte, France
| | - Guillaume Holweck
- Laveran Military Teaching Hospital, CS500413384, Marseille Cedex 13, France
| | - Guillaume André Durand
- French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA)-CNR des arbovirus-IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD 190, Inserm 1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection, AP-HM, UVE, Aix-Marseille Univ, Marseille, France
| | - Isabelle Leparc-Goffart
- French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA)-CNR des arbovirus-IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD 190, Inserm 1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection, AP-HM, UVE, Aix-Marseille Univ, Marseille, France
| | - Gaëtan Texier
- IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France.,French Armed Forces Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health (CESPA), Marseille, France
| | - Fabrice Simon
- Laveran Military Teaching Hospital, CS500413384, Marseille Cedex 13, France.,IRD 190, Inserm 1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection, AP-HM, UVE, Aix-Marseille Univ, Marseille, France
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30
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De Clercq E. New Nucleoside Analogues for the Treatment of Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Infections. Chem Asian J 2019; 14:3962-3968. [PMID: 31389664 PMCID: PMC7159701 DOI: 10.1002/asia.201900841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Eight different compounds, all nucleoside analogues, could presently be considered as potential drug candidates for the treatment of Ebola virus (EBOV) and/or other hemorrhagic fever virus (HFV) infections. They can be considered as either (i) adenine analogues (3-deazaneplanocin A, galidesivir, GS-6620 and remdesivir) or (ii) guanine analogues containing the carboxamide entity (ribavirin, EICAR, pyrazofurin and favipiravir). All eight owe their mechanism of action to hydrogen bonded base pairing with either (i) uracil or (ii) cytosine. Four out of the eight compounds (galidesivir, GS-6620, remdesivir and pyrazofurin) are C-nucleosides, and two of them (GS-6620, remdesivir) also contain a phosphoramidate part. The C-nucleoside and phosphoramidate (and for the adenine analogues the 1'-cyano group as well) may be considered as essential attributes for their antiviral activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik De Clercq
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and TransplantationRega Institute for Medical Research, KU LeuvenHerestraat 493000LeuvenBelgium
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31
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Miao J, Chard LS, Wang Z, Wang Y. Syrian Hamster as an Animal Model for the Study on Infectious Diseases. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2329. [PMID: 31632404 PMCID: PMC6781508 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases still remain one of the biggest challenges for human health. In order to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and develop effective diagnostic tools, therapeutic agents, and preventive vaccines, a suitable animal model which can represent the characteristics of infectious is required. The Syrian hamster immune responses to infectious pathogens are similar to humans and as such, this model is advantageous for studying pathogenesis of infection including post-bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens, along with assessing the efficacy and interactions of medications and vaccines for those pathogens. This review summarizes the current status of Syrian hamster models and their use for understanding the underlying mechanisms of pathogen infection, in addition to their use as a drug discovery platform and provides a strong rationale for the selection of Syrian hamster as animal models in biomedical research. The challenges of using Syrian hamster as an alternative animal model for the research of infectious diseases are also addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxin Miao
- Department of Science and Technology, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
- Sino-British Research Center for Molecular Oncology, National Center for the International Research in Cell and Gene Therapy, School of Basic Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Louisa S. Chard
- Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Zhimin Wang
- Sino-British Research Center for Molecular Oncology, National Center for the International Research in Cell and Gene Therapy, School of Basic Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yaohe Wang
- Sino-British Research Center for Molecular Oncology, National Center for the International Research in Cell and Gene Therapy, School of Basic Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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32
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Synergistic lethal mutagenesis of hepatitis C virus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019:AAC.01653-19. [PMID: 31570400 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01653-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Lethal mutagenesis is an antiviral approach that consists in extinguishing a virus by an excess of mutations acquired during replication in the presence of a mutagenic agent, often a nucleotide analogue. One of its advantages is its broad spectrum nature that renders the strategy potentially effective against emergent RNA viral infections. Here we describe synergistic lethal mutagenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by a combination of favipiravir (T-705) and ribavirin. Synergy has been documented over a broad range of analogue concentrations using the Chou-Talalay method as implemented in the CompuSyn graphics, with average dose reduction index (DRI) above 1 (68.02±101.6 for favipiravir, and 5.83±6.07 for ribavirin), and average combination indices (CI) below 1 (0.52±0.28). Furthermore, analogue concentrations that individually did not extinguish high fitness HCV in ten serial infections, when used in combination they extinguished high fitness HCV in one to two passages. Although both analogues display a preference for G→A and C→U transitions, deep sequencing analysis of mutant spectra indicated a different preference of the two analogues for the mutation sites, thus unveiling a new possible synergy mechanism in lethal mutagenesis. Prospects of synergy among mutagenic nucleotides as a strategy to confront emerging viral infections are discussed.
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33
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McElroy AK, Harmon JR, Flietstra T, Nichol ST, Spiropoulou CF. Human Biomarkers of Outcome Following Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection. J Infect Dis 2019; 218:1847-1851. [PMID: 29955891 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus is an arbovirus found in Africa and the Middle East. Most infected individuals experience a mild self-limiting illness; however, some develop severe disease including hepatitis, hemorrhagic fever, or encephalitis. The biological reasons for these marked differences in disease manifestation are unknown. In this study, we evaluate 32 biomarkers in serum of 26 patients from an outbreak that occurred in Saudi Arabia in 2000-2001. Eleven biomarkers correlated with viral RNA. Thirteen biomarkers were associated with a fatal outcome. No associations of biomarkers and hemorrhage or central nervous system disease were identified in this cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita K McElroy
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia.,Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia.,Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania
| | - Jessica R Harmon
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Timothy Flietstra
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Stuart T Nichol
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Christina F Spiropoulou
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia
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34
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Lethal Mutagenesis of Rift Valley Fever Virus Induced by Favipiravir. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019; 63:AAC.00669-19. [PMID: 31085519 PMCID: PMC6658772 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00669-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging, mosquito-borne, zoonotic pathogen with recurrent outbreaks taking a considerable toll in human deaths in many African countries, for which no effective treatment is available. In cell culture studies and with laboratory animal models, the nucleoside analogue favipiravir (T-705) has demonstrated great potential for the treatment of several seasonal, chronic, and emerging RNA virus infections in humans, suggesting applicability to control some viral outbreaks. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging, mosquito-borne, zoonotic pathogen with recurrent outbreaks taking a considerable toll in human deaths in many African countries, for which no effective treatment is available. In cell culture studies and with laboratory animal models, the nucleoside analogue favipiravir (T-705) has demonstrated great potential for the treatment of several seasonal, chronic, and emerging RNA virus infections in humans, suggesting applicability to control some viral outbreaks. Treatment with favipiravir was shown to reduce the infectivity of Rift Valley fever virus both in cell cultures and in experimental animal models, but the mechanism of this protective effect is not understood. In this work, we show that favipiravir at concentrations well below the toxicity threshold estimated for cells is able to extinguish RVFV from infected cell cultures. Nucleotide sequence analysis has documented RVFV mutagenesis associated with virus extinction, with a significant increase in G to A and C to U transition frequencies and a decrease of specific infectivity, hallmarks of lethal mutagenesis.
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35
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Ter Horst S, Conceição-Neto N, Neyts J, Rocha-Pereira J. Structural and functional similarities in bunyaviruses: Perspectives for pan-bunya antivirals. Rev Med Virol 2019; 29:e2039. [PMID: 30746831 PMCID: PMC7169261 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The order of Bunyavirales includes numerous (re)emerging viruses that collectively have a major impact on human and animal health worldwide. There are no vaccines for human use or antiviral drugs available to prevent or treat infections with any of these viruses. The development of efficacious and safe drugs and vaccines is a pressing matter. Ideally, such antivirals possess pan‐bunyavirus antiviral activity, allowing the containment of every bunya‐related threat. The fact that many bunyaviruses need to be handled in laboratories with biosafety level 3 or 4, the great variety of species and the frequent emergence of novel species complicate such efforts. We here examined the potential druggable targets of bunyaviruses, together with the level of conservation of their biological functions, structure, and genetic similarity by means of heatmap analysis. In the light of this, we revised the available models and tools currently available, pointing out directions for antiviral drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiaan Ter Horst
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nádia Conceição-Neto
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joana Rocha-Pereira
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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36
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French CD, Willoughby RE, Pan A, Wong SJ, Foley JF, Wheat LJ, Fernandez J, Encarnacion R, Ondrush JM, Fatteh N, Paez A, David D, Javaid W, Amzuta IG, Neilan AM, Robbins GK, Brunner AM, Hu WT, Mishchuk DO, Slupsky CM. NMR metabolomics of cerebrospinal fluid differentiates inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0007045. [PMID: 30557317 PMCID: PMC6312347 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Myriad infectious and noninfectious causes of encephalomyelitis (EM) have similar clinical manifestations, presenting serious challenges to diagnosis and treatment. Metabolomics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was explored as a method of differentiating among neurological diseases causing EM using a single CSF sample. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS 1H NMR metabolomics was applied to CSF samples from 27 patients with a laboratory-confirmed disease, including Lyme disease or West Nile Virus meningoencephalitis, multiple sclerosis, rabies, or Histoplasma meningitis, and 25 controls. Cluster analyses distinguished samples by infection status and moderately by pathogen, with shared and differentiating metabolite patterns observed among diseases. CART analysis predicted infection status with 100% sensitivity and 93% specificity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE These preliminary results suggest the potential utility of CSF metabolomics as a rapid screening test to enhance diagnostic accuracies and improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin D. French
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Rodney E. Willoughby
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail: (REW); (CMS)
| | - Amy Pan
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Susan J. Wong
- Wadsworth Center Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - John F. Foley
- Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - L. Joseph Wheat
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Josefina Fernandez
- Hospital Infantil Robert Reid Cabral, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, República Dominicana
| | - Rafael Encarnacion
- Hospital Infantil Robert Reid Cabral, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, República Dominicana
| | | | - Naaz Fatteh
- Inova Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Andres Paez
- Departamento de Ciencias Basicas, Universidad de la Salle, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Dan David
- Rabies Lab, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit Dagan, Israel
| | - Waleed Javaid
- Department of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, United States of America
| | - Ioana G. Amzuta
- Department of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, United States of America
| | - Anne M. Neilan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Gregory K. Robbins
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Andrew M. Brunner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - William T. Hu
- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Darya O. Mishchuk
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Carolyn M. Slupsky
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (REW); (CMS)
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37
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Walters AW, Kujawa MR, Albe JR, Reed DS, Klimstra WB, Hartman AL. Vascular permeability in the brain is a late pathogenic event during Rift Valley fever virus encephalitis in rats. Virology 2018; 526:173-179. [PMID: 30396029 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic disease of livestock that causes several clinical outcomes in people including febrile disease, hemorrhagic fever, and/or encephalitis. After aerosol infection with RVFV, Lewis rats develop lethal encephalitic disease, and we use this as a model for studying disease mechanisms of RVFV infection in the brain. Permeability of the brain vasculature in relation to virus invasion and replication is not known. Here, we found that vascular permeability in the brain occurred late in the course of infection and corresponded temporally to expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Virus replication was ongoing within the central nervous system for several days prior to detectable vascular leakage. Based on this study, vascular permeability was not required for entry of RVFV into the brain of rats. Prevention of vascular leakage late in infection may be an important component for prevention of lethal neurological disease in the rat model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron W Walters
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael R Kujawa
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Joseph R Albe
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Douglas S Reed
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William B Klimstra
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Amy L Hartman
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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38
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Smee DF, Jung KH, Westover J, Gowen BB. 2'-Fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine is a broad-spectrum inhibitor of bunyaviruses in vitro and in phleboviral disease mouse models. Antiviral Res 2018; 160:48-54. [PMID: 30339848 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
2'-Fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine (2'-FdC) was reported to inhibit various viruses in vitro, including Borna disease, hepatitis C, Lassa fever, influenza and certain herpes viruses, and is inhibitory to influenza viruses in mice. We investigated the antiviral activity of 2'-FdC against several unrelated bunyaviruses in 50% cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibition assays and, with viruses that cause limited CPE, 90% virus yield reduction (VYR) assays. La Crosse (LACV), Maporal, Punta Toro, Rift Valley fever (RVFV), and San Angelo viruses were inhibited in CPE assays at 2.2-9.7 μM concentrations. In VYR assays, Heartland and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTSV) viruses were inhibited at 0.9 and 3.7 μM, respectively. In contrast, ribavirin inhibited these viruses at an average of 47 μM. Antiviral efficacy studies were also conducted in mice infected with RVFV, SFTSV, and LACV. Against RVFV, 2'-FdC (100 and 200 mg/kg/day) and ribavirin (100 mg/kg/day) treatments each delayed mortality by approximately 6 days compared to placebo. Liver, spleen, and serum viral titers were significantly reduced by antiviral treatments. 2'-FdC (100 and 200 mg/kg/day) prevented death in SFTSV-infected mice, but was not as effective as favipiravir (100 mg/kg/day) based on body weight loss during infection. The 100 mg/kg/day doses of 2'-FdC and favipiravir significantly reduced liver, spleen, and serum viral titers. 2'-FdC and ribavirin afforded no protection against LACV infection in mice, which is encephalitic and thus inherently more difficult to treat. Taken together, our data suggest that 2'-FdC may be a viable candidate for treating certain non-encephalitic bunyavirus infections such as those caused by phleboviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald F Smee
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
| | - Kie-Hoon Jung
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Jonna Westover
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Brian B Gowen
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
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39
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Westover JB, Mathis A, Taylor R, Wandersee L, Bailey KW, Sefing EJ, Hickerson BT, Jung KH, Sheridan WP, Gowen BB. Galidesivir limits Rift Valley fever virus infection and disease in Syrian golden hamsters. Antiviral Res 2018; 156:38-45. [PMID: 29864447 PMCID: PMC6035881 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. There are no approved antiviral therapies or vaccines available to treat or prevent severe disease associated with RVFV infection in humans. The adenosine analog, galidesivir (BCX4430), is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug candidate with in vitro antiviral potency (EC50 of less than 50 μM) in more than 20 different viruses across eight different virus families. Here we report on the activity of galidesivir in the hamster model of peracute RVFV infection. Intramuscular and intraperitoneal treatments effectively limited systemic RVFV (strain ZH501) infection as demonstrated by significantly improved survival outcomes and the absence of infectious virus in the spleen and the majority of the serum, brain, and liver samples collected from infected animals. Our findings support the further development of galidesivir as an antiviral therapy for use in treating severe RVFV infection, and possibly other related phleboviral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonna B Westover
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | | | - Ray Taylor
- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Durham, NC, USA
| | - Luci Wandersee
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Kevin W Bailey
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Eric J Sefing
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Brady T Hickerson
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Kie-Hoon Jung
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | | | - Brian B Gowen
- Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
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40
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Dawes BE, Kalveram B, Ikegami T, Juelich T, Smith JK, Zhang L, Park A, Lee B, Komeno T, Furuta Y, Freiberg AN. Favipiravir (T-705) protects against Nipah virus infection in the hamster model. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7604. [PMID: 29765101 PMCID: PMC5954062 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25780-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Nipah and Hendra viruses are recently emerged bat-borne paramyxoviruses (genus Henipavirus) causing severe encephalitis and respiratory disease in humans with fatality rates ranging from 40–75%. Despite the severe pathogenicity of these viruses and their pandemic potential, no therapeutics or vaccines are currently approved for use in humans. Favipiravir (T-705) is a purine analogue antiviral approved for use in Japan against emerging influenza strains; and several phase 2 and 3 clinical trials are ongoing in the United States and Europe. Favipiravir has demonstrated efficacy against a broad spectrum of RNA viruses, including members of the Paramyxoviridae, Filoviridae, Arenaviridae families, and the Bunyavirales order. We now demonstrate that favipiravir has potent antiviral activity against henipaviruses. In vitro, favipiravir inhibited Nipah and Hendra virus replication and transcription at micromolar concentrations. In the Syrian hamster model, either twice daily oral or once daily subcutaneous administration of favipiravir for 14 days fully protected animals challenged with a lethal dose of Nipah virus. This first successful treatment of henipavirus infection in vivo with a small molecule drug suggests that favipiravir should be further evaluated as an antiviral treatment option for henipavirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian E Dawes
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
| | - Birte Kalveram
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
| | - Tetsuro Ikegami
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA.,Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA.,Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
| | - Terry Juelich
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
| | - Jennifer K Smith
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
| | - Lihong Zhang
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
| | - Arnold Park
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Benhur Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Alexander N Freiberg
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA. .,Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA. .,Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA.
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41
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Delang L, Abdelnabi R, Neyts J. Favipiravir as a potential countermeasure against neglected and emerging RNA viruses. Antiviral Res 2018. [PMID: 29524445 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Favipiravir, also known as T-705, is an antiviral drug that has been approved in 2014 in Japan to treat pandemic influenza virus infections. The drug is converted intracellularly into its active, phosphoribosylated form, which is recognized as a substrate by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Interestingly, besides its anti-influenza virus activity, this molecule is also able to inhibit the replication of flavi-, alpha-, filo-, bunya-, arena-, noro-, and of other RNA viruses, which include neglected and (re)emerging viruses for which no antiviral therapy is currently available. We will discuss the potential of favipiravir as a broad-spectrum countermeasure against infections caused by such neglected RNA viruses. Favipiravir has already been used off-label to treat patients infected with the Ebola virus and the Lassa virus. Because of the particular set-up of the clinical trials during these outbreaks, clear conclusions on the efficacy of favipiravir could not be made. For several viruses, it was demonstrated that the barrier of resistance development against favipiravir is high. Favipiravir has been shown to be well tolerated in healthy volunteers and in influenza virus-infected patients; however, caution is needed because of the teratogenic risks of this molecule. Because of its antiviral activity against different RNA viruses and its high barrier for resistance, the potential of favipiravir as a broad-spectrum antiviral seems promising, but safety and potency issues should be overcome before this drug or similar molecules could be used to treat large patient groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leen Delang
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Herestraat 49, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Rana Abdelnabi
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Herestraat 49, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Herestraat 49, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
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42
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Extinction of West Nile Virus by Favipiravir through Lethal Mutagenesis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 61:AAC.01400-17. [PMID: 28848019 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01400-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Favipiravir is an antiviral agent effective against several RNA viruses. The drug has been shown to protect mice against experimental infection with a lethal dose of West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus responsible for outbreaks of meningitis and encephalitis for which no antiviral therapy has been licensed; however, the mechanism of action of the drug is still not well understood. Here, we describe the potent in vitro antiviral activity of favipiravir against WNV, showing that it decreases virus-specific infectivity and drives the virus to extinction. Two passages of WNV in the presence of 1 mM favipiravir-a concentration that is more than 10-fold lower than its 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50)-resulted in a significant increase in mutation frequency in the mutant spectrum and in a bias toward A→G and G→A transitions relative to the population passaged in the absence of the drug. These data, together with the fact that the drug is already licensed in Japan against influenza virus and in a clinical trial against Ebola virus, point to favipiravir as a promising antiviral agent to fight medically relevant flaviviral infections, such as that caused by WNV.
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43
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Atkins C, Freiberg AN. Recent advances in the development of antiviral therapeutics for Rift Valley fever virus infection. Future Virol 2017; 12:651-665. [PMID: 29181086 DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2017-0060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne bunyavirus endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and the etiological agent of Rift Valley fever. Rift Valley fever is a disease of major public health and economic concern, affecting livestock and humans. In ruminants, RVFV infection is characterized by high mortality rates in newborns and near 100% abortion rates in pregnant animals. Infection in humans is typically manifested as a self-limiting febrile illness, but can lead to severe and fatal hepatitis, encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever or retinitis with partial or complete blindness. Currently, there are no specific treatment options available for RVFV infection. This review presents a summary of the therapeutic approaches that have been explored on the treatment of RVFV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colm Atkins
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.,Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Alexander N Freiberg
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.,The Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.,The Center for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.,Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.,The Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.,The Center for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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44
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Abdelnabi R, Jochmans D, Verbeken E, Neyts J, Delang L. Antiviral treatment efficiently inhibits chikungunya virus infection in the joints of mice during the acute but not during the chronic phase of the infection. Antiviral Res 2017; 149:113-117. [PMID: 28958920 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Favipiravir (T-705) is a broad spectrum antiviral which has been approved in Japan for the treatment of severe influenza virus infections. We reported earlier that favipiravir inhibits the in vitro replication of CHIKV and protects against disease progression in CHIKV-infected immunodeficient mice. We here explored whether favipiravir is also able to inhibit CHIKV replication in the joints of mice either when treatment is initiated during the acute or during the chronic phase of the infection. To this end, C57BL/6J mice were infected with CHIKV in the left hind footpad and treatment with favipiravir (300 mg/kg/day, orally) was either given from day 0 to day 3 post-infection (p.i.) or from day 49 to day 55 p.i. In the untreated mice, viral RNA was still detectable in the joints up to 98 days p.i., yet no infectious viral particles were observed in these tissues. The 4 days treatment during the acute phase of the infection resulted in complete inhibition of systemic viral spread. As a consequence, no viral RNA was detected in the non-inoculated feet in contrast to the situation in the untreated control mice. When treatment was initiated at day 49 p.i., no significant reduction in viral RNA levels in joints were noted as compared to the untreated control. Interestingly, when attempting to amplify by RT-PCR material corresponding to virus genome from the chronic phase samples, some parts of the genome, such as the viral polymerase gene could not be amplified. Collectively, these results suggest that the viral RNA detected in the joints during the chronic phase is likely defective, which also explains the lack of effect of a viral replication inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Abdelnabi
- University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk Jochmans
- University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Erik Verbeken
- University of Leuven and Leuven University Hospitals, Department of Pathology, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Leen Delang
- University of Leuven, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
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45
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Carrillo-Bustamante P, Nguyen THT, Oestereich L, Günther S, Guedj J, Graw F. Determining Ribavirin's mechanism of action against Lassa virus infection. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11693. [PMID: 28916737 PMCID: PMC5601963 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10198-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribavirin is a broad spectrum antiviral which inhibits Lassa virus (LASV) replication in vitro but exhibits a minor effect on viremia in vivo. However, ribavirin significantly improves the disease outcome when administered in combination with sub-optimal doses of favipiravir, a strong antiviral drug. The mechanisms explaining these conflicting findings have not been determined, so far. Here, we used an interdisciplinary approach combining mathematical models and experimental data in LASV-infected mice that were treated with ribavirin alone or in combination with the drug favipiravir to explore different putative mechanisms of action for ribavirin. We test four different hypotheses that have been previously suggested for ribavirin’s mode of action: (i) acting as a mutagen, thereby limiting the infectivity of new virions; (ii) reducing viremia by impairing viral production; (iii) modulating cell damage, i.e., by reducing inflammation, and (iv) enhancing antiviral immunity. Our analysis indicates that enhancement of antiviral immunity, as well as effects on viral production or transmission are unlikely to be ribavirin’s main mechanism mediating its antiviral effectiveness against LASV infection. Instead, the modeled viral kinetics suggest that the main mode of action of ribavirin is to protect infected cells from dying, possibly reducing the inflammatory response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Carrillo-Bustamante
- Center for Modeling and Simulation in the Biosciences (BIOMS), BioQuant-Center, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Thi Huyen Tram Nguyen
- INSERM, IAME, UMR, 1137, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, IAME, UMR, 1137, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - Lisa Oestereich
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Günther
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jeremie Guedj
- INSERM, IAME, UMR, 1137, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, IAME, UMR, 1137, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France
| | - Frederik Graw
- Center for Modeling and Simulation in the Biosciences (BIOMS), BioQuant-Center, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
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46
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Westover JB, Rigas JD, Van Wettere AJ, Li R, Hickerson BT, Jung KH, Miao J, Reynolds ES, Conrad BL, Nielson S, Furuta Y, Thangamani S, Wang Z, Gowen BB. Heartland virus infection in hamsters deficient in type I interferon signaling: Protracted disease course ameliorated by favipiravir. Virology 2017; 511:175-183. [PMID: 28865344 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2017.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne virus (Bunyaviridae, Phlebovirus) that has caused sporadic cases of human disease in several central and mid-eastern states of America. Animal models of HRTV disease are needed to gain insights into viral pathogenesis and advancing antiviral drug development. Presence of clinical disease following HRTV challenge in hamsters deficient in STAT2 function underscores the important role played by type I interferon-induced antiviral responses. However, the recovery of most of the infected animals suggests that other mechanisms to control infection and limit disease offer substantial protection. The most prominent disease sign with HRTV infection in STAT2 knockout hamsters was dramatic weight loss with clinical laboratory and histopathology demonstrating acute inflammation in the spleen, lymph node, liver and lung. Finally, we show that HRTV disease in hamsters can be prevented by the use of favipiravir, a promising broad-spectrum antiviral in clinical development for the treatment of influenza.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johanna D Rigas
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 950 E. 1400 N., Logan, UT 84341, USA
| | - Arnaud J Van Wettere
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 950 E. 1400 N., Logan, UT 84341, USA
| | - Rong Li
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | | | - Kie-Hoon Jung
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Jinxin Miao
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Ave., Zhengzhou Shi, Henan Sheng, People's Republic of China
| | - Erin S Reynolds
- University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Bettina L Conrad
- Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 950 E. 1400 N., Logan, UT 84341, USA
| | - Skot Nielson
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Yousuke Furuta
- Research Laboratories, Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd., Toyama 930-8508, Japan
| | - Saravanan Thangamani
- University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Zhongde Wang
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Brian B Gowen
- Utah State University, 5600 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
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47
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Liu G, Wong G, Su S, Bi Y, Plummer F, Gao GF, Kobinger G, Qiu X. Clinical Evaluation of Ebola Virus Disease Therapeutics. Trends Mol Med 2017; 23:820-830. [PMID: 28822631 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Ebola virus disease (EVD) was first described over 40 years ago, but no treatment has been approved for humans. The 2013-2016 EVD outbreak in West Africa has expedited the clinical evaluation of several candidate therapeutics that act through different mechanisms, but with mixed results. Nevertheless, these studies are important because the accumulation of clinical data and valuable experience in conducting efficacy trials under emergency circumstances will lead to better implementation of similar studies in the future. Here, we summarize the results of EVD clinical trials, focus on the discussion of factors that may have potentially impeded the effectiveness of existing candidate therapeutics, and highlight considerations that may help meet the challenges ahead in the quest to develop clinically approved drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Liu
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Gary Wong
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, State Key Discipline of Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shuo Su
- Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Institute of Immunology and College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuhai Bi
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, State Key Discipline of Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Frank Plummer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - George F Gao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, State Key Discipline of Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gary Kobinger
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Département de microbiologie-infectiologie et d'immunologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Xiangguo Qiu
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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48
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Favipiravir can evoke lethal mutagenesis and extinction of foot-and-mouth disease virus. Virus Res 2017; 233:105-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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49
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Gowen BB, Hickerson BT. Hemorrhagic fever of bunyavirus etiology: disease models and progress towards new therapies. J Microbiol 2017; 55:183-195. [DOI: 10.1007/s12275-017-7029-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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50
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Sweiti H, Ekwunife O, Jaschinski T, Lhachimi SK. Repurposed Therapeutic Agents Targeting the Ebola Virus: A Systematic Review. CURRENT THERAPEUTIC RESEARCH 2017; 84:10-21. [PMID: 28761574 PMCID: PMC5522984 DOI: 10.1016/j.curtheres.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Ebola virus has been responsible for numerous outbreaks since the 1970s, with the most recent outbreak taking place between 2014 and 2016 and causing an international public health emergency. Ebola virus disease (EVD) has a high mortality rate and no approved targeted treatment exists to date. A number of established drugs are being considered as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of EVD. OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify potential drug repositioning candidates and to assess the scientific evidence available on their efficacy. METHODS We conducted a systematic literature search in MEDLINE, Embase, and other relevant trial registry platforms for studies published between January 1976 and January 2017. We included drug screening, preclinical studies, and clinical studies on repurposed drugs for the treatment of EVD. The risk of bias for animal studies and nonrandomized clinical studies was assessed. The quality of reporting for case series and case reports was evaluated. Finally, we selected drugs approved by established regulatory authorities, which have positive in vitro study outcomes and at least one additional animal or clinical trial. RESULTS We identified 3301 publications, of which 37 studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Studies were highly heterogeneous in terms of study type, methodology, and intervention. The risk of bias was high for 13 out of 14 animal studies. We selected 11 drugs with potential anti-EVD therapeutic effects and summarized their evidence. CONCLUSIONS Several established drugs may have therapeutic effects on EVD, but the quality and quantity of current scientific evidence is lacking. This review highlights the need for well-designed and conducted preclinical and clinical research to establish the efficacy of potential repurposed drugs against EVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Sweiti
- Institute of Health Services Research and Health Economics, School of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine University Dû¥sseldorf, Dû¥sseldorf, Germany
- Surgical Department, Klinikum Frankfurt HûÑchst, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Obinna Ekwunife
- Cooperative Research Group for Evidence-Based Public Health, Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Bremen, Germany
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
| | - Thomas Jaschinski
- Department for Evidence-based Health Services Research, Institute for Research in Operative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
| | - Stefan K. Lhachimi
- Institute of Health Services Research and Health Economics, School of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine University Dû¥sseldorf, Dû¥sseldorf, Germany
- Cooperative Research Group for Evidence-Based Public Health, Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Bremen, Germany
- Institute for Public Health, Health Sciences Bremen, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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