Anti-zika virus activity of polyoxometalates

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging infectious viral pathogen associated with severe fetal cerebral anomalies and the paralytic Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. It was the cause of a recent global health crisis following its entrance into a naive population in the Americas. Nowadays, no vaccine or specific antiviral against ZIKV is available. In this study, we identified three polyoxometalates (POMs), the Anderson-Evans type [TeW6O24](6-) (TeW6), and the Keggin-type [TiW11CoO40](8-)_(TiW11Co), and [Ti2PW10O40](7-) (Ti2PW10), that inhibit ZIKV infection with EC(50)s in the low micromolar range. Ti2PW10, the POM with the greatest selectivity index (SI), was selected and the step of ZIKV replicative cycle putatively inhibited was investigated by specific antiviral assays. We demonstrated that Ti2PW10 targets the entry process of ZIKV infection and it is able to significantly reduce ZIKV progeny production. These results suggest that the polyanion Ti2PW10 could be a good starting point to develop an effective therapeutic to treat ZIKV infection.