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Pagani I, Ottoboni L, Panina-Bordignon P, Martino G, Poli G, Taylor S, Turnbull JE, Yates E, Vicenzi E. Heparin Precursors with Reduced Anticoagulant Properties Retain Antiviral and Protective Effects That Potentiate the Efficacy of Sofosbuvir against Zika Virus Infection in Human Neural Progenitor Cells. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1385. [PMID: 37895856 PMCID: PMC10609960 DOI: 10.3390/ph16101385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy can result in severe birth defects, such as microcephaly, as well as a range of other related health complications. Heparin, a clinical-grade anticoagulant, is shown to protect neural progenitor cells from death following ZIKV infection. Although heparin can be safely used during pregnancy, it retains off-target anticoagulant effects if directly employed against ZIKV infection. In this study, we investigated the effects of chemically modified heparin derivatives with reduced anticoagulant activities. These derivatives were used as experimental probes to explore the structure-activity relationships. Precursor fractions of porcine heparin, obtained during the manufacture of conventional pharmaceutical heparin with decreased anticoagulant activities, were also explored. Interestingly, these modified heparin derivatives and precursor fractions not only prevented cell death but also inhibited the ZIKV replication of infected neural progenitor cells grown as neurospheres. These effects were observed regardless of the specific sulfation position or overall charge. Furthermore, the combination of heparin with Sofosbuvir, an antiviral licensed for the treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) that also belongs to the same Flaviviridae family as ZIKV, showed a synergistic effect. This suggested that a combination therapy approach involving heparin precursors and Sofosbuvir could be a potential strategy for the prevention or treatment of ZIKV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Pagani
- Viral Pathogenesis and Biosafety Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Linda Ottoboni
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Panina-Bordignon
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Gianvito Martino
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Guido Poli
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Human Immuno-Virology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Sarah Taylor
- Department of Biochemistry & Systems Biology, ISMIB, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Jeremy E Turnbull
- Department of Biochemistry & Systems Biology, ISMIB, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffs ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Edwin Yates
- Department of Biochemistry & Systems Biology, ISMIB, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffs ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Elisa Vicenzi
- Viral Pathogenesis and Biosafety Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
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Madere FS, Monaco CL. The female reproductive tract virome: understanding the dynamic role of viruses in gynecological health and disease. Curr Opin Virol 2022; 52:15-23. [PMID: 34800892 PMCID: PMC8844092 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The human body is inhabited by a large and complex network of commensal and predatory eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophages collectively termed the virome. Despite being the most abundant and genetically diverse biological entities on the planet, the impact of viruses on human health especially within the female reproductive tract (FRT) remains understudied. To better appreciate current knowledge regarding the dynamic role of viruses in FRT health and disease, in this review we highlight the known constituents of the FRT virome, transkingdom interactions within the FRT and their influence on gynecological disease. A better understanding of the FRT virome may pave the way toward improved outcomes in gynecological, reproductive, and neonatal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferralita S. Madere
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Cynthia L. Monaco
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, USA,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, USA
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Is the ZIKV Congenital Syndrome and Microcephaly Due to Syndemism with Latent Virus Coinfection? Viruses 2021; 13:v13040669. [PMID: 33924398 PMCID: PMC8069280 DOI: 10.3390/v13040669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of the Zika virus (ZIKV) mirrors its evolutionary nature and, thus, its ability to grow in diversity or complexity (i.e., related to genome, host response, environment changes, tropism, and pathogenicity), leading to it recently joining the circle of closed congenital pathogens. The causal relation of ZIKV to microcephaly is still a much-debated issue. The identification of outbreak foci being in certain endemic urban areas characterized by a high-density population emphasizes that mixed infections might spearhead the recent appearance of a wide range of diseases that were initially attributed to ZIKV. Globally, such coinfections may have both positive and negative effects on viral replication, tropism, host response, and the viral genome. In other words, the possibility of coinfection may necessitate revisiting what is considered to be known regarding the pathogenesis and epidemiology of ZIKV diseases. ZIKV viral coinfections are already being reported with other arboviruses (e.g., chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and dengue virus (DENV)) as well as congenital pathogens (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cytomegalovirus (HCMV)). However, descriptions of human latent viruses and their impacts on ZIKV disease outcomes in hosts are currently lacking. This review proposes to select some interesting human latent viruses (i.e., herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), human parvovirus B19 (B19V), and human papillomavirus (HPV)), whose virological features and co-exposition with ZIKV may provide evidence of the syndemism process, shedding some light on the emergence of the ZIKV-induced global congenital syndrome in South America.
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Blitvich BJ, Magalhaes T, Laredo-Tiscareño SV, Foy BD. Sexual Transmission of Arboviruses: A Systematic Review. Viruses 2020; 12:v12090933. [PMID: 32854298 PMCID: PMC7552039 DOI: 10.3390/v12090933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are primarily maintained in nature in transmission cycles between hematophagous arthropods and vertebrate hosts, but an increasing number of arboviruses have been isolated from or indirectly detected in the urogenital tract and sexual secretions of their vertebrate hosts, indicating that further investigation on the possibility of sexual transmission of these viruses is warranted. The most widely recognized sexually-transmitted arbovirus is Zika virus but other arboviruses, including Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and dengue virus, might also be transmitted, albeit occasionally, by this route. This review summarizes our current understanding on the ability of arboviruses to be sexually transmitted. We discuss the sexual transmission of arboviruses between humans and between vertebrate animals, but not arthropod vectors. Every taxonomic group known to contain arboviruses (Asfarviridae, Bunyavirales, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Reoviridae, Rhabdoviridae and Togaviridae) is covered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley J. Blitvich
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-515-294-9861; Fax: +1-515-294-8500
| | - Tereza Magalhaes
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; (T.M.); (B.D.F.)
| | - S. Viridiana Laredo-Tiscareño
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA;
| | - Brian D. Foy
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; (T.M.); (B.D.F.)
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