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. 2017 Jun:142:148-157.
doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.03.014. Epub 2017 Mar 24.

Curcumin inhibits Zika and chikungunya virus infection by inhibiting cell binding

Bryan C Mounce  1 , Teresa Cesaro  1 , Lucia Carrau  2 , Thomas Vallet  1 , Marco Vignuzzi  3
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Free article

Curcumin inhibits Zika and chikungunya virus infection by inhibiting cell binding

Bryan C Mounce et al. Antiviral Res. 2017 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Several compounds extracted from spices and herbs exhibit antiviral effects in vitro, suggesting potential pharmacological uses. Curcumin, a component of turmeric, has been used as a food additive and herbal supplement due to its potential medicinal properties. Previously, curcumin exhibited antiviral properties against several viruses, including dengue virus and hepatitis C virus, among others. Here, we describe the antiviral effect of curcumin on Zika and chikungunya viruses, two mosquito-borne outbreak viruses. Both viruses responded to treatment of cells with up to 5 μM curumin without impacting cellular viability. We observed that direct treatment of virus with curcumin reduced infectivity of virus in a dose- and time-dependent manner for these enveloped viruses, as well as vesicular stomatitis virus. In contrast, we found no change in infectivity for Coxsackievirus B3, a non-enveloped virus. Derivatives of curcumin also exhibited antiviral activity against enveloped viruses. Further examination revealed that curcumin interfered with the binding of the enveloped viruses to cells in a dose-dependent manner, though the integrity of the viral RNA was maintained. Together, these results expand the family of viruses sensitive to curcumin and provide a mechanism of action for curcumin's effect on these enveloped viruses.

Keywords: Curcumin; Enveloped virus; Viral binding.

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