Therapeutic targets and biological mechanisms of action of curcumin against Zika virus: In silico and in vitro analyses > REFERENCE LIBRARY

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, that could cause congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), characterized by microcephaly, neurological complications and fetal deaths. No specific treatments for ZIKV are currently available, highlighting the urgent global need to identify and develop therapeutic agents. Drug repositioning of approved natural compounds can provide effective alternative solutions for novel antiviral development. The current study focused on curcumin, a component of turmeric known to exert diverse antiviral effects. We integrated in silico information from publicly available databases to predict interactions between curcumin and potential targets of ZIKV. In our network analysis, we identified four targets, TP53, AKT1, PTEN, and TNF, which were identified as potential targets associated with ZIKV. Based on retrieved targets, we performed molecular docking study and identified curcumin-TNF showed the strongest binding among four targets. The anti-Zika effects of curcumin were validated in vitro with the aid of antiviral and plaque reduction assay. Curcumin at concentrations ranging from 12.5 to 50 μM displayed significant antiviral activity in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). In view of its natural abundance and prevalence in the human diet, curcumin holds significant promise for treatment of ZIKV infections.