Piperlongumine Inhibits Zika Virus Replication In vitro and Promotes Up-Regulation of HO-1 Expression, Suggesting An Implication of Oxidative Stress.

Owing to the widespread distribution of mosquitoes capable of transmitting Zika virus, lack of clinical vaccines and treatments, and poor immunity of populations to new infectious diseases, Zika virus has become a global public health concern. Recent studies have found that Zika virus can continuously infect human brain microvascular endothelial cells. These cells are the primary components of the blood-brain barrier of the cerebral cortex, and further infection of brain tissue may cause severe damage such as encephalitis and fetal pituitary disease. The present study found that a biologically active base, piperlongumine (PL), inhibited Zika virus replication in human brain microvascular endothelial cells, Vero cells, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. PL also significantly increased heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene expression, while silencing HO-1 expression and using the reactive oxygen species scavenger, N-acetylcysteine, attenuated the inhibitory effect of PL on Zika virus replication. These results suggest that PL induces oxidative stress in cells by increasing reactive oxygen species. This, in turn, induces an increase in HO-1 expression, thereby inhibiting Zika virus replication. These findings provide novel clues for drug research on the prevention and treatment of Zika virus.