The global situation of
diseases transmitted by
arthropod-borne viruses such as
Dengue (DENV),
Yellow Fever (YFV), Chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (
ZIKV)
viruses is alarming and
treatment of
human infection by these
arboviruses faces several challenges. The discovery of broad-spectrum
antiviral molecules, able to inactivate different groups of
viruses, is an interesting approach. The
viral envelope is a common structure among
arboviruses, being a potential target for
antivirals.
Porphyrins are amphipathic molecules able to interact with
membranes and absorb
light, being widely used in
photodynamic therapy. Previously, we showed that
heme, Co-protoporphyrin IX (CoPPIX) and Sn-protoporphyrin IX (SnPPIX) directly inactivate DENV and YFV infectious particles. Here we demonstrate that the
antiviral activity of these
porphyrins can be broadened to CHIKV,
ZIKV, Mayaro
virus,
Sindbis virus and
Vesicular Stomatitis virus.
Porphyrin treatment causes
viral envelope protein loss, affecting viral morphology,
adsorption and entry into target
cells. Also,
light-stimulation enhanced the SnPPIX activity against all tested
arboviruses. In summary, CoPPIX and SnPPIX were shown to be efficient broad-spectrum compounds to inactivate medically and
veterinary important
viruses.