Inhibitors of mpox VP39 2'-O methyltransferase efficiently inhibit the monkeypox virus

In this study, we employed plaque assays and cytopathic effect-based assays to evaluate the effectiveness of these compounds. All tested compounds demonstrated antiviral activity against MpxV, with EC50 values ranging from 0.06 to 2.7 μM. Nevertheless, some of these compounds also exhibited cytotoxicity in HeLa cells, while others showed no toxicity. Notably, the non-toxic compounds featured a large aromatic substituent at the 7-deaza position, whereas the toxic compounds had a small substituent at the same position. These findings suggest that VP39 represents a bona fide target for the development of antiviral drugs against MpxV.PMID:37689311 | DOI:10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105714

Source: Antiviral Research - September 9, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Michala Zgarbov á Tomas Otava Jan Silhan Radim Nencka Jan Weber Evzen Boura Source Type: research