The Antifungal Itraconazole Is a Potent Inhibitor of Chikungunya Virus Replication.

ABSTRACT: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is the causative agent of chikungunya fever, a disabling disease that can cause long-term severe arthritis. Since the last large CHIKV outbreak in 2015, the reemergence of the virus represents a serious public health concern. The morbidity associated with viral infection emphasizes the need for the development of specific anti-CHIKV drugs. Herein, we describe the development and characterization of a CHIKV reporter replicon cell line and its use in replicon-based screenings. We tested 960 compounds from MMV/DNDi Open Box libraries and identified four candidates with interesting antiviral activities, which were confirmed in viral infection assays employing CHIKV-nanoluc and BHK-21 cells. The most noteworthy compound identified was itraconazole (ITZ), an orally avai

SUBMITTER: Policastro LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9317443 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature