title: Heparin prevents Zika virus induced-cytopathic effects in human neural progenitor cells.
abstract: The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak, which mainly affected Brazil and neighbouring states, demonstrated the paucity of information concerning the epidemiology of several flaviruses, but also highlighted the lack of available agents with which to treat such emerging diseases. Here, we show that heparin, a widely used anticoagulant, while exerting a modest inhibitory effect on Zika Virus replication, fully prevents virus-induced cell death of human neural progenitor cells (NPCs).
authors.affiliation: San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, Milano 20132, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghezzi
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK.
authors.forename: Lynsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, Milano 20132, Italy.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.affiliation: San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, Milano 20132, Italy.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.affiliation: "Lazzaro Spallanzani" National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Capobianchi
authors.affiliation: "Lazzaro Spallanzani" National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ippolito
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK; Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquito Filho, Botucatu, SP 18607-440, Brazil.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, UNIFESP, Rua Três de Maio, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP 04044-020, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Cecilia Z
authors.initials: MCZ
authors.lastname: Meneghetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, UNIFESP, Rua Três de Maio, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP 04044-020, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
authors.forename: Marcelo A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK; Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Skidmore
authors.affiliation: National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Vania
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Broccoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK; Department of Biochemistry, UNIFESP, Rua Três de Maio, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP 04044-020, Brazil; School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. Electronic address: eayates@liv.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Edwin A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.affiliation: San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, Milano 20132, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vicenzi
mesh_terms: D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral / Q000187:drug effects*; D058492:Drug Repositioning; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D000071244:Zika Virus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D006493:Heparin
keywords: Cell death; Heparin; Neural progenitor cells; Zika virus (ZIKV)