Inhibition of Arenaviruses by Combinations of Orally Available Approved Drugs.

In this report, we demonstrate that arbidol, an approved influenza antiviral previously shown to inhibit EBOV, LASV, and many other viruses, inhibits murine leukemia (MLV) reporter viruses pseudotyped with the fusion glycoproteins (GP) of other arenaviruses [Junin (JUNV), lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), and Pichinde (PICV)]. Arbidol and other approved drugs including aripiprazole, amodiaquine, sertraline, and niclosamide also inhibit infection of cells by infectious PICV, and arbidol, sertraline and niclosamide inhibit infectious LASV. Combining arbidol with aripiprazole or sertraline results in synergistic suppression of LASV and JUNV GP-bearing pseudoviruses. This proof-of-concept study shows that arenavirus infection in vitro can be synergistically inhibited by combinations of approved drugs. This approach may lead to a proactive strategy with which to prepare for and control known and new arenavirus outbreaks.
PMID: 33468464 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy - January 19, 2021 Category: Microbiology Authors: Herring S, Oda JM, Wagoner J, Kirchmeier D, O'Connor A, Nelson EA, Huang Q, Liang Y, Evans DeWald L, Johansen LM, Glass PJ, Olinger GG, Ianevski A, Aittokallio T, Paine MF, Fink SL, White JM, Polyak SJ Tags: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Source Type: research