title: Dehydroepiandrosterone, epiandrosterone and synthetic derivatives inhibit Junin virus replication in vitro.
abstract: In the present paper the in vitro antiviral activity of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), epiandrosterone (EA) and 16 synthetic derivatives against Junin virus (JUNV) replication in Vero cells was studied. DHEA and EA caused a selective inhibition of the replication of JUNV and other members of the Arenaviridae family such as Pichinde virus and Tacaribe virus. The compounds were not virucidal to cell-free JUNV. The impairment of viral replication was not due to an inhibitory effect of the steroids on virus adsorption or internalization. An inhibitory effect of the compounds on JUNV protein synthesis and both intracellular and extracellular virus production was demonstrated. A partial inhibitory action on cell surface expression of JUNV glycoprotein G1 was also detected on DHEA- and EA-treated cultures. Like DHEA and EA, three compounds obtained from EA by chemical synthesis showed selectivity indexes higher than ribavirin, the only antiviral compound that has shown partial efficacy against arenavirus infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Virología, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Piso 4, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Eliana G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: Andrea C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bruttomesso
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bisceglia
authors.forename: Mónica B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wachsman
authors.forename: Lydia R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Galagovsky
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Castilla
mesh_terms: D000738:Androsterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D018051:Junin virus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014709:Vero Cells; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014764:Viral Proteins; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D000738:Androsterone