title: Inhibition of Mayaro virus infection by bovine lactoferrin.
abstract: Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an arbovirus linked to several sporadic outbreaks of a highly debilitating febrile illness in many regions of South America. MAYV is on the verge of urbanization from the Amazon region and no effective antiviral intervention is available against human infections. Our aim was to investigate whether bovine lactoferrin (bLf), an iron-binding glycoprotein, could hinder MAYV infection. We show that bLf promotes a strong inhibition of virus infection with no cytotoxic effects. Monitoring the effect of bLf on different stages of infection, we observed that virus entry into the cell is the heavily compromised event. Moreover, we found that binding of bLf to the cell is highly dependent on the sulfation of glycosaminoglycans, suggesting that bLf impairs virus entry by blocking these molecules. Our findings highlight the antiviral potential of bLf and reveal an effective strategy against one of the major emerging human pathogens in the neotropics.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos A M
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologia em Imunobiológicos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivanildo P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jerson L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andréa C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20211-040, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil. Electronic address: amog@bioqmed.ufrj.br.
authors.forename: Andre M O
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gomes
mesh_terms: D000524:Alphavirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002417:Cattle; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013020:South America; D053586:Virus Internalization / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007781:Lactoferrin
keywords: Antiviral activity; Bovine lactoferrin; Mayaro virus