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Microorganisms
Volume 9
Issue 5
10.3390/microorganisms9050944
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Communication

Favipiravir Does Not Inhibit Chikungunya Virus Replication in Mosquito Cells and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

by
Sofie Jacobs
1,
Lanjiao Wang
1,
Ana Lucia Rosales Rosas
1,
Ria Van Berwaer
1,
Evelien Vanderlinden
1,
Anna-Bella Failloux
2,
Lieve Naesens
1 and
Leen Delang
1,*
1
KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
2
Laboratory of Arboviruses and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2021, 9(5), 944; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050944
Submission received: 28 February 2021 / Revised: 22 April 2021 / Accepted: 24 April 2021 / Published: 27 April 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antivirals for Emerging Viruses)
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Abstract

Favipiravir (T-705) is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug that inhibits RNA viruses after intracellular conversion into its active form, T-705 ribofuranosyl 5′-triphosphate. We previously showed that T-705 is able to significantly inhibit the replication of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, in mammalian cells and in mouse models. In contrast, the effect of T-705 on CHIKV infection and replication in the mosquito vector is unknown. Since the antiviral activity of T-705 has been shown to be cell line-dependent, we studied here its antiviral efficacy in Aedes-derived mosquito cells and in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Interestingly, T-705 was devoid of anti-CHIKV activity in mosquito cells, despite being effective against CHIKV in Vero cells. By investigating the metabolic activation profile, we showed that, unlike Vero cells, mosquito cells were not able to convert T-705 into its active form. To explore whether alternative metabolization pathways might exist in vivo, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were infected with CHIKV and administered T-705 via an artificial blood meal. Virus titrations of whole mosquitoes showed that T-705 was not able to reduce CHIKV infection in mosquitoes. Combined, these in vitro and in vivo data indicate that T-705 lacks antiviral activity in mosquitoes due to inadequate metabolic activation in this animal species.
Keywords: favipiravir; T-705; activation; antiviral activity; mosquitoes; chikungunya virus favipiravir; T-705; activation; antiviral activity; mosquitoes; chikungunya virus

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jacobs, S.; Wang, L.; Rosales Rosas, A.L.; Van Berwaer, R.; Vanderlinden, E.; Failloux, A.-B.; Naesens, L.; Delang, L. Favipiravir Does Not Inhibit Chikungunya Virus Replication in Mosquito Cells and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 944. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050944

AMA Style

Jacobs S, Wang L, Rosales Rosas AL, Van Berwaer R, Vanderlinden E, Failloux A-B, Naesens L, Delang L. Favipiravir Does Not Inhibit Chikungunya Virus Replication in Mosquito Cells and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes. Microorganisms. 2021; 9(5):944. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050944

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jacobs, Sofie, Lanjiao Wang, Ana Lucia Rosales Rosas, Ria Van Berwaer, Evelien Vanderlinden, Anna-Bella Failloux, Lieve Naesens, and Leen Delang. 2021. "Favipiravir Does Not Inhibit Chikungunya Virus Replication in Mosquito Cells and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes" Microorganisms 9, no. 5: 944. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050944

APA Style

Jacobs, S., Wang, L., Rosales Rosas, A. L., Van Berwaer, R., Vanderlinden, E., Failloux, A.-B., Naesens, L., & Delang, L. (2021). Favipiravir Does Not Inhibit Chikungunya Virus Replication in Mosquito Cells and Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes. Microorganisms, 9(5), 944. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050944

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