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Alphavirus Replication: The Role of Cardiac Glycosides and Ion Concentration in Host Cells

Kauê F C Souza-Souza1, Cassiano F Gonçalves-de-Albuquerque2,3, Cláudio Cirne-Santos1

  • 1Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ CEP 24020-141, Brazil.

Biomed Research International
|May 29, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Alphavirus infections lack vaccines and treatments. This review explores how ion concentration changes affect alphavirus replication, suggesting the Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) as a potential antiviral target.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Alphaviruses are mosquito-borne viruses causing significant human illness, including encephalitis.
  • Current treatments for alphavirus infections are limited, with no available vaccines or specific antivirals.
  • Host cell ion concentrations are increasingly recognized as critical regulators of the alphavirus life cycle.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of ion concentration shifts in alphavirus replication.
  • To explore the potential of targeting the Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) for antiviral therapy against alphaviruses.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on alphavirus replication and ion homeostasis.
  • Analysis of existing data on cardiac glycosides as inhibitors of NKA and their effect on viral replication.

Main Results:

  • Ion concentration changes critically influence multiple stages of the alphavirus life cycle.
  • Cardiac glycosides, NKA inhibitors, demonstrate capacity to inhibit alphavirus replication.
  • The precise mechanisms by which NKA inhibition affects alphavirus replication require further elucidation.

Conclusions:

  • Modulating host cell ion concentrations presents a promising avenue for alphavirus control.
  • The Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) emerges as a potential therapeutic target for developing novel antiviral drugs against alphaviruses.
  • Further research is warranted to fully understand NKA's role and optimize NKA-targeting strategies for alphavirus treatment.

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