title: The FDA-approved drug sofosbuvir inhibits Zika virus infection.
abstract: The rapidly expanding Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic has affected thousands of individuals with severe cases causing Guillain-Barré syndrome, congenital malformations, and microcephaly. Currently, there is no available vaccine or therapy to prevent or treat ZIKV infection. We evaluated whether sofosbuvir, an FDA-approved nucleotide polymerase inhibitor for the distantly related hepatitis C virus, could have antiviral activity against ZIKV infection. Cell culture studies established that sofosbuvir efficiently inhibits replication and infection of several ZIKV strains in multiple human tumor cell lines and isolated human fetal-derived neuronal stem cells. Moreover, oral treatment with sofosbuvir protected against ZIKV-induced death in mice. These results suggest that sofosbuvir may be a candidate for further evaluation as a therapy against ZIKV infection in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Bullard-Feibelman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Govero
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Salazar
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veselinovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA; The Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA. Electronic address: brian.geiss@colostate.edu.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Geiss
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002460:Cell Line; D017277:Drug Approval; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D000069474:Sofosbuvir / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D000071244:Zika Virus / Q000187:drug effects*; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000069474:Sofosbuvir