Heparin Protects Human Neural Progenitor Cells from Zika Virus-Induced Cell Death While Preserving Their Differentiation into Mature Neuroglial Cells.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus member of the Flaviviridae family that causes severe congenital brain anomalies in infected fetuses. The key target cells of ZIKV infection, human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs), are highly permissive to infection that causes the inhibition of cell proliferation and induces cell death. We have previously shown that pharmaceutical-grade heparin inhibits virus-induced cell death with negligible effects on in vitro virus replication in ZIKV-infected hNPCs at the "high" multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1. Here, we show that heparin inhibits formation of ZIKV-induced intracellular vacuoles, a signature of paraptosis, and inhibits necrosis and apoptosis of hNPCs grown as neurospheres (NS). To test whether heparin preserved the differentiation of

SUBMITTER: Pagani I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9555206 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature