The narrow range of anti-dengue activity of ivermectin in vitro

Abstract

To verify the anti-viral mechanisms of Ivermectin (IVM) for its potential application as a dengue (DEN) anti-viral drug. Inhibition of virus binding/entry, virucidal activity, anti-virus plaque formation, and the inhibition of viral growth were determined based on a comparison with Ribavirin (RBV). No direct effects of IVM on the viral attachment and entry step were observed. However, the inhibitory effects of IVM on plaque formation and viral growth were demonstrated in monkey kidney epithelial cells (LLC-MK2) infected cells. The inhibition concentration of 50 of IVM was 8.8 times lower than that of RBV (9.16 µg/mL vs. 80.82 µg/mL) after 24 h. of exposure in DEN infected cells. Meanwhile, the virucidal activity of IVM was not observed to be similar to that of RBV. However, toxicity in the HepG2 cells, which could be human target cells for drug metabolism, provided a narrow range of IVM applications. Considering the nature of DEN in which all 4 serotypes could develop into severe forms of the disease, IVM remains a valuable anti-viral drug, even with the narrow range of applications. Furthermore, IVM could reduce burden of DEN infections during an outbreak.