Identification of bioactive molecules which inhibit both Chikungunya and Mayaro virus activities.

• Grant number: 19/05614-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: May 28, 2019
• End date: May 27, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Molecular Biophysics
• Principal Investigator: Raghuvir Krishnaswamy Arni
• Grantee: Raphael Josef Eberle
• Supervisor: Dieter Willbold
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/07572-3 - Exploring the non-structural protease nsP2 from Chikungunya and Mayaro viruses: structures and inhibition., BP.PD

Abstract

Infections by alpha viruses represent a very serious health problem especially in developingcountries where the precarious public health system is already over stressed. A leading example is infection by the Chikungunya virus which results in considerable social and economic trauma and requires urgent attention. The lack of efficacious treatments is compounded by potential coinfection by Chikungunya and Mayaro virus, which exacerbates and magnifies the problem since both trigger similar reactions and analogous clinical symptoms. The cleavage of the Chikungunyaand Mayaro nsP-polyproteins, by the virus nsP2 cysteine protease is crucial for viral replication. The identification and characterization of specific simultaneously acting inhibitors against the Chikungunya and Mayaro virus nsP2 cysteine protease is potentially relevant for the development of drugs and the aim of this project. This proposal is an extension of the ongoing post-doctoral research and aims to apply new techniques and technologies available at the excellent laboratory led by Prof. D. Willbold to develop novel inhibitors with potential clinical applications.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

EBERLE, RAPHAEL J.; OLIVIER, DANILO S.; PACCA, CAROLINA C.; AVILLA, CLARITA M. S.; NOGUEIRA, MAURICIO L.; AMARAL, MARCOS S.; WILLBOLD, DIETER; ARNI, RAGHUVIR K.; CORONADO, MONIKA A.. In vitro study of Hesperetin and Hesperidin as inhibitors of zika and chikungunya virus proteases. PLoS One, v. 16, n. 3, MAR 4 2021. (16/12904-0, 19/05614-3, 18/12659-0, 18/07572-3)

EBERLE, RAPHAEL J.; OLIVIER, DANILO S.; AMARAL, MARCOS S.; GERING, IAN; WILLBOLD, DIETER; ARNI, RAGHUVIR K.; CORONADO, MONIKA A.. The Repurposed Drugs Suramin and Quinacrine Cooperatively Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CL(pro) In Vitro. Viruses-Basel, v. 13, n. 5, MAY 2021. (16/12904-0, 19/05614-3, 18/12659-0, 18/07572-3)

EBERLE, RAPHAEL J.; OLIVIER, DANILO S.; AMARAL, MARCOS S.; WILLBOLD, DIETER; ARNI, RAGHUVIR K.; CORONADO, MONIKA A.. Promising Natural Compounds against Flavivirus Proteases: Citrus Flavonoids Hesperetin and Hesperidin. PLANTS-BASEL, v. 10, n. 10, OCT 2021. (18/07572-3, 19/05614-3, 18/12659-0, 16/12904-0)