In cell cultures, a drug used to treat hepatitis C protects nerve cells infected with Zika virus. Sofosbuvir also blocks transmission of the virus to fetal mice.
“A lot of work has been done last year to deal with the threat of the Zika virus, much of which has focused on developing a vaccine with promising results,” said the lead author. of a recent study by Alysson Muotri.
“But there is also the need to develop therapeutic strategies to treat people infected with the Zika virus, including pregnant women for whom infection prevention is no longer possible”.
Benefits of sofosbuvir
The epidemics in Brazil in 2015 and 2016 were marked by an increase in births with congenital malformations, including microcephaly and significant neurological abnormalities.
To prevent this from happening again, researchers tested an antiviral drug, sofosbuvir, against the Zika virus, intended to treat and cure hepatitis C infections. The team noted that hepatitis C virus and Zika virus belong to the same viral family. Thus, sofosbuvir also has against Zika virus in different types of cells.
The start of a revolution?
“This study first suggests that the drug is well tolerated by pregnant mice infected with Zika”, enthuses Alysson Muotri. “Second, more importantly, sofosbuvir was able to stop Zika virus replication in vivo as well as mother-to-fetus transmission.”
The researchers say their results are preliminary, with a lot of work still to be done. But they also illustrate the potential for immediate use of a drug that is already widely used in a similar viral infection. Until the Zika vaccine is approved, they say this approach needs to be developed.
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