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Review
. 2021 Jul 5;13(7):1307.
doi: 10.3390/v13071307.

Antivirals against the Chikungunya Virus

Verena Battisti  1 , Ernst Urban  1 , Thierry Langer  1
Affiliations
Review

Antivirals against the Chikungunya Virus

Verena Battisti et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that has re-emerged in recent decades, causing large-scale epidemics in many parts of the world. CHIKV infection leads to a febrile disease known as chikungunya fever (CHIKF), which is characterised by severe joint pain and myalgia. As many patients develop a painful chronic stage and neither antiviral drugs nor vaccines are available, the development of a potent CHIKV inhibiting drug is crucial for CHIKF treatment. A comprehensive summary of current antiviral research and development of small-molecule inhibitor against CHIKV is presented in this review. We highlight different approaches used for the identification of such compounds and further discuss the identification and application of promising viral and host targets.

Keywords: Chikungunya virus; alphavirus; antiviral drug development; antiviral therapy; direct-acting antivirals; host-directed antivirals; in silico screening; in vivo validation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structure of virus-targeting compounds. Inhibitors of viral entry and membrane fusion: arbidol, IIc, suramin, epigallocatechin gallate, bis(benzofuran-thiazolidone) 3g, and LQM334. Inhibitor of the viral capsid protease: picolinic acid, mandelic acid, ethyl 3-aminobenzoate, P1, P4-di(adenosine-5′) tetraphosphate, eptifibatide acetate, and paromomycin sulphate. Inhibitor of 6K Protein: amantadine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structure of virus-targeting compounds. Inhibitors of nsP1: MADTP, CHVB, lobaric acid, 6′-β-fluoro-homoaristeromycin, 6′-fluoro-homoneplanocin A, and 5-iodotubercidin. Inhibitor of nsP2: compound 25, compound 8, MBZM-N-IBT, MIBT, thiazolidin-4-one, ID1452-2, telmisartan, novobiocin, and nelfinavir. Inhibitor of nsP4: favipiravir, β-D-N4-Hydroxycytidine, sofosbuvir, and compound-A.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structure of selected host-targeting compounds. Inhibitor of the viral entry and membrane fusion: chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, obatoclax, niclosamide, nitazoxanide, and 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride. Inhibitor of the lipid pathway: orlistat, cerulenin, CAY10566, tivozanib, pimozide, 5-tetradecyloxy-2-furoic acid, imipramine, U18999A, and LXR-623. Inhibitor of the pyrimidine and purine synthesis: ribavirin, merimepodip, mycophenolic acid, 6-azauridine, DD264, antimycin A1a, RYL-634, and atovaquone.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structure of selected host-targeting compounds. Inhibitor of the protein synthesis: halofuginone, harringtonine, sorafenib, sylvestrol, bortezomib, and SR9009. Inhibitor of cellular proteins: tenovin-1, sodium phenylbutyrate, sirtinol, geldanamycin, HS-10, SNX-2112, HA15, 16F16, PACMA31, and auranofin. Inhibitor of cellular enzymes: amodiaquine, desethyl-amodiaquine, aristeromycin, dasatinib, Torin 1, CND3514, berberine, miltefosine, prostatin, isothiazolo[4,3-b]pyridine, difluoromethylornithine, and DENSpm.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chemical structure of selected host-targeting compounds. Inhibitors of cellular receptors: oubain, digoxin, lanatoside C, DIDS, 9-ACA, NPPB, 5-nonyloxytryptamine, and methiothepin mesylate. Immunomodulatory agents: tilorone, C11, G10, and AV-C.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Chemical structure of anti-CHIKV compounds without known target.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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