The search for an antiviral lead molecule to combat the neglected emerging Oropouche virus

• Published in: Current research in microbial sciences Vol. 6; p. 100238
• Main Authors: Peinado, Rafaela dos Santos, Saivish, Marielena Vogel, Menezes, Gabriela de Lima, Fulco, Umberto Laino, da Silva, Roosevelt Alves, Korostov, Karolina, Eberle, Raphael Josef, Melo, Paulo A., Nogueira, Maurício Lacerda, Pacca, Carolina Colombelli, Arni, Raghuvir Krishnaswamy, Coronado, Mônika Aparecida
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.01.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Antiviral; from the special issue: New infectious disease, edited by Shibo Jiang, Yun Zhu and Zezhong Liu; Oropouche virus; Wedelolactone; Wedelolactone; Antiviral; Oropouche virus
• ISSN: 2666-5174; 2666-5174
• DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2024.100238

•Oropouche virus (OROV) is the causative agent of a dengue-like febrile illness transmitted by mosquitoes with epidemic potential.•Wedelolactone (WDL) is a putative natural antiviral compound known to inhibit viral proteins and replication processes.•Our study demonstrated in silico and in vitro anti-OROV effects by WDL associated with the viral endonuclease interaction and inhibition. Oropouche virus (OROV) is a member of the Peribunyaviridae family and the causative agent of a dengue-like febrile illness transmitted by mosquitoes. Although mild symptoms generally occur, complications such as encephalitis and meningitis may develop. A lack of proper diagnosis, makes it a potential candidate for new epidemics and outbreaks like other known arboviruses such as Dengue, Yellow Fever and Zika virus. The study of natural molecules as potential antiviral compounds is a promising alternative for antiviral therapies. Wedelolactone (WDL) has been demonstrated to inhibit some viral proteins and virus replication, making it useful to target a wide range of viruses. In this study, we report the in silico effects of WDL on the OROV N-terminal polymerase and its potential inhibitory effects on several steps of viral infection in mammalian cells in vitro, which revealed that WDL indeed acts as a potential inhibitor molecule against OROV infection. [Display omitted]