2. Academic Validation
  3. Inhibition of dengue virus replication by mycophenolic acid and ribavirin

Inhibition of dengue virus replication by mycophenolic acid and ribavirin

  • J Gen Virol. 2006 Jul;87(Pt 7):1947-1952. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.81655-0.
Ratree Takhampunya 1 2,  Sukathida Ubol 1,  Huo-Shu Houng 3,  Craig E Cameron 4,  Radhakrishnan Padmanabhan 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, 272 Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
  • 2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, 3900 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
  • 3 Department of Virus Diseases, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
  • 4 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
PMID: 16760396 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.81655-0
Abstract

Dengue viruses (DEN), mosquito-borne members of the family Flaviviridae, are human pathogens of global significance. The effects of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and ribavirin (RBV) on DEN replication in monkey kidney (LLC-MK2) cells were examined. MPA (IC(50)=0.4+/-0.3 microM) and RBV (IC(50)=50.9+/-18 microM) inhibited DEN2 replication. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR of viral RNA and plaque assays of virions from DEN2-infected and MPA (10 microM)- and RBV (> or =200 microM)-treated cells showed a fivefold increase in defective viral RNA production by cells treated with each drug. Moreover, a dramatic reduction of intracellular viral replicase activity was seen by in vitro replicase assays. Guanosine reversed the inhibition of these compounds, suggesting that one mode of Antiviral action of MPA and RBV is by inhibition of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase and thereby depletion of the intracellular GTP pool. In addition, RBV may act by competing with guanine-nucleotide precursors in viral RNA translation, replication and 5' capping.

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