title: Suramin is a potent inhibitor of Chikungunya and Ebola virus cell entry.
abstract: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes high fever, rash, and recurrent arthritis in humans. It has efficiently adapted to Aedes albopictus, which also inhabits temperate regions and currently causes large outbreaks in the Caribbean and Latin America. Ebola virus (EBOV) is a member of the filovirus family. It causes the Ebola virus disease (EDV), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever in humans and has a mortality rate of up to 70 %. The last outbreak in Western Africa was the largest in history and has caused approximately 25,000 cases and 10,000 deaths. For both viral infections no specific treatment or licensed vaccine is currently available. The bis-hexasulfonated naphthylurea, suramin, is used as a treatment for trypanosome-caused African river blindness. As a competitive inhibitor of heparin, suramin has been described to have anti-viral activity.
  
  
  
  We tested the activity of suramin during CHIKV or Ebola virus infection, using CHIKV and Ebola envelope glycoprotein pseudotyped lentiviral vectors and wild-type CHIKV and Ebola virus.
  
  
  
  Suramin efficiently inhibited CHIKV and Ebola envelope-mediated gene transfer while vesicular stomatitis virus G protein pseudotyped vectors were only marginally affected. In addition, suramin was able to inhibit wild-type CHIKV and Ebola virus replication in vitro. Inhibition occurred at early time points during CHIKV infection.
  
  
  
  Suramin, also known as Germanin or Bayer-205, is a market-authorized drug, however shows significant side effects, which probably prevents its use as a CHIKV drug, but due to the high lethality of Ebola virus infections, suramin might be valuable against Ebola infections.
authors: Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Paul-Ehrlich Strasse 51-59, 63225, Langen, Germany.
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Henß
authors: Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Paul-Ehrlich Strasse 51-59, 63225, Langen, Germany.
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Beck
authors: Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Paul-Ehrlich Strasse 51-59, 63225, Langen, Germany.
authors: Tatjana
authors: T
authors: Weidner
authors: Institute of Virology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 2, 35043, Marburg, Germany.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the Philipps University Marburg, partner site, Gießen-Marburg-Langen, Germany.
authors: Nadine
authors: N
authors: Biedenkopf
authors: Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Paul-Ehrlich Strasse 51-59, 63225, Langen, Germany.
authors: Katja
authors: K
authors: Sliva
authors: Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Paul-Ehrlich Strasse 51-59, 63225, Langen, Germany.
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Weber
authors: Institute of Virology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 2, 35043, Marburg, Germany.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the Philipps University Marburg, partner site, Gießen-Marburg-Langen, Germany.
authors: Stephan
authors: S
authors: Becker
authors: Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Paul-Ehrlich Strasse 51-59, 63225, Langen, Germany. Barbara.Schnierle@pei.de.
authors: Barbara S
authors: BS
authors: Schnierle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000821:virology*; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D013498:Suramin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053586:Virus Internalization / Q000187:drug effects*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D013498:Suramin
keywords: Chikungunya virus; Ebola virus; Suramin