Chloroquine, an Endocytosis Blocking Agent, Inhibits Zika Virus Infection in Different Cell Models

Delvecchio, Rodrigo; Higa, Luiza M.; Pezzuto, Paula; Valadão, Ana Luiza; Garcez, Patrícia P.; Monteiro, Fábio L.; Loiola, Erick C.; Dias, André A.; Silva, Fábio J. M.; Aliota, Matthew T.; Caine, Elizabeth A.; Osorio, Jorge E.; Bellio, Maria; O’Connor, David H.; Rehen, Stevens; de Aguiar, Renato Santana; Savarino, Andrea; Campanati, Loraine; Tanuri, Amilcar

Although Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947, from January 2007 to April 2016, ZIKV transmission has been reported in 64 countries and territories [35] . The Zika virus disease is in general mild, but the recent positive correlation between infection, congenital malformations, and neurological damage in adults has intensified the need for therapeutic approaches. Prophylactic treatments for women intending to get pregnant in epidemic areas and travelers going to affected countries would represent relevant tools to reduce ZIKV transmission and avoid the spread of the disease by travelers. Moreover, a drug that blocks placental transfer of the virus could decrease the Figure 6 . Chloroquine inhibits ZIKV infection in mouse neurospheres. Mouse neurospheres were infected with ZIKV MR766 (2.5 × 10 5 PFU and were treated with chloroquine for 3 days. Neurospheres were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy (A-C), and triple stained for envelope viral protein (green), microtubule-associated protein 2 (Map-2, red), a neuron-specific protein, and DAPI (blue) (D-F).