Peptides as Therapeutic Agents for Dengue Virus

Chew, Miaw-Fang; Poh, Keat-Seong; Poh, Chit-Laa

Antiviral peptides that either interact with the virus particles or target at critical viral replication steps of the life cycle can potentially be used as treatment or prophylaxis for dengue. Several approaches have been explored thus far to inhibit dengue virus infection, including targeting the host cell receptors or attachment factors, viral structural proteins and non-structural (NS) proteins. Drugs that were designed against these three main targets employ different mechanisms of action to stop virus infection. By targeting the host cellular receptors or attachment factors, it will prevent the attachment and binding of viral proteins with the host cell, hence stopping the subsequent entry of DENV. Drug candidates directing at the viral structural proteins [capsid (C), pre-membrane (prM/M) and envelope (E)], on the other hand, might be able to interfere with the binding of viruses to host cells, thereby inhibiting the viral attachment/fusion and viral entry. Lastly, as non-structural proteins are essential components of replication machinery, designing drug candidates against NS proteins will interfere with the viral replication cycle to effectively ameliorate dengue.