(E)-Guggulsterone Inhibits Dengue Virus Replication by Upregulating Antiviral Interferon Responses through the Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1 Expression.

Dengue virus (DENV) infection, which causes dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, and dengue shock syndrome, is a severe global health problem in tropical and subtropical areas. There is no effective vaccine or drug against DENV infection. Thus, the development of anti-DENV agents is imperative.

Discovery of Zika Virus NS2B/NS3 Inhibitors That Prevent Mice from Life-Threatening Infection and Brain Damage.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, which initially was endemic only in Africa and Asia, is rapidly spreading throughout Europe, Oceania, and the Americas. Although there have been enormous efforts, there is still no approved drug to treat ZIKV infection. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of agents with noncompetitive mechanism of the ZIKV NS2B/NS3 protease inhibition through the binding to an allosteric site.

MicroRNA-let-7c suppresses hepatitis C virus replication by targeting Bach1 for induction of haem oxygenase-1 expression.

MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that are central factors between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and host cellular factors for viral replication and liver disease progression, including liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In the present study, we found that overexpressing miR-let-7c markedly reduced HCV replication because it induced haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression by targeting HO-1 transcriptional repressor Bach1, ultimately leading to stimulating an antiviral interferon response and blockade of HCV viral protease activity. In contrast, the antiviral actions of miR-let-7c were attenuated by miR-let-7c inhibitor treatment, exogenously expressing Bach1 or suppressing HO-1 activity and expression.

Avocado (Persea americana) fruit extract (2R,4R)-1,2,4-trihydroxyheptadec-16-yne inhibits dengue virus replication via upregulation of NF-κB-dependent induction of antiviral interferon responses.

Dengue virus (DENV) caused millions of infections around the world annually. Co-infection with different serotypes of DENV is associated with dengue hemorrhagic shock syndrome, leading to an estimate of 50% death rate. No approved therapies are currently available for the treatment of DENV infection.

ICR suckling mouse model of Zika virus infection for disease modeling and drug validation.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection causes diseases ranging from acute self-limiting febrile illness to life-threatening Guillain-Barré Syndrome and other neurological disorders in adults. Cumulative evidence suggests an association between ZIKV infection and microcephaly in newborn infants. Given the host-range restrictions of the virus, a susceptible animal model infected by ZIKV must be developed for evaluation of vaccines and antivirals.

Lobohedleolide suppresses hepatitis C virus replication via JNK/c-Jun-C/EBP-mediated down-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 expression.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronically infects 2-3% people of the global population, which leads to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Drug resistance remains a serious problem that limits the effectiveness of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs against HCV proteins. The objective of our study was to discover new antivirals from natural products to supplement current therapeutics.