![]() ![]() An alternative approach, involving genetic modification of the Aedes mosquito transmission vector, has also raised attention, though conclusive data on its effectiveness is lacking. WHO recommendations have focused on the development of inactive and/or other “non-live” vaccines, with a number of vaccine candidates showing some promise in human clinical trials. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified ZIKV amongst the viruses posing the greatest public health risk due to its epidemic potential. Peptide–porphyrin conjugation stands out as a promising strategy to fill the ZIKV treatment gap. ![]() 22 h) without altering cell viability at all tested concentrations. One of the conjugates, PP-P1, crossing both BPB and BBB, has shown to be effective against ZIKV (IC 50 1.08 µM) and has high serum stability (t 1/2 ca. Herein, we report on several brain-directed, low-toxicity PPCs capable of targeting ZIKV. Recently, we have described peptide–porphyrin conjugates (PPCs) as successful BBBpS-associated drug leads for HIV, an enveloped virus in which group ZIKV also belongs. Despite its restricted permeability, the BBB is penetrable by a variety of molecules, mainly peptide-based, and named BBB peptide shuttles (BBBpS), able to ferry various payloads (e.g., drugs, antibodies, etc.) into the brain. So far, there is no effective remedy for ZIKV infection, mainly due to the limited ability of antiviral drugs to cross blood–placental and/or blood–brain barriers (BPB and BBB, respectively). ![]() Among the respective pathogenic agents, Zika virus (ZIKV), transmitted by Aedes mosquito vectors and causing the eponymous fever, is particularly insidious in that infection during pregnancy results in complications such as foetal loss, preterm birth or irreversible brain abnormalities, including microcephaly. The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and other recent geographically- confined viral outbreaks (severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Ebola, dengue, zika and ever-recurring seasonal influenza), also with devastating tolls at sanitary and socio-economic levels, are sobering reminders in this respect. Viral disease outbreaks affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide and remain a serious threat to global health. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |