Increased frequency of arbovirus outbreaks in the last 10 years represents an important emergence for global health. Climate warming, extensive urbanization of tropical regions, and human migration flows facilitate the expansion of anthropophilic mosquitos and the emerging or re-emerging of new viral infections. Only recently the human adenosinetri-phosphatase/RNA helicase X-linked DEAD-box polypeptide 3 (DDX3X) emerged as a novel therapeutic target in the fight against infectious diseases. Herein, starting from our previous studies, a new family of DDX3X inhibitors was designed, synthesized, validated on the target enzyme, and evaluated against the West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Time of addition experiments after virus infection indicated that the compounds exerted their antiviral activities after the entry process, likely at the protein translation step of WNV replication. Finally, the most interesting compounds were then analyzed for their in vitro pharmacokinetic parameters, revealing favorable absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion values. The good safety profile together with a good activity against WNV for which no treatments are currently available, make this new class of molecules a good starting point for further in vivo studies.
1.Univ Siena, Dipartimento Biotecnol Chim & Farm, Via A De Gasperi 2, I-53100 Siena, Italy 2.Lead Discovery Siena Srl, I-53019 Siena, Italy 3.Univ Florence, Dept Expt & Clin Med, I-50134 Florence, Italy 4.CNR, IGM, Via Abbiategrasso 207, I-27100 Pavia, Italy 5.Temple Univ, Biotechnol Coll Sci & Technol, BioLife Sci Bldg,Suite 333,1900 North 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
Recommended Citation:
Brai, Annalaura,Martelli, Francesco,Riva, Valentina,et al. DDX3X Helicase Inhibitors as a New Strategy To Fight the West Nile Virus Infection[J]. JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY,2019-01-01,62(5):2333-2347