Substitution-inert polynuclear platinum compounds inhibit human cytomegalovirus attachment and entry.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects up to 90-100% of the world population. Although HCMV infection is not a concern for immunocompetent patients, it can be life threatening for immunocompromised individuals. Additionally, congenital HCMV infections can cause serious neurological deficits in neonates. Since viral resistance mutations arise for all current treatments, new treatments targeting novel processes are needed. A well-defined target for HCMV is heparan sulfate, a highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) necessary for virion/host cell attachment. In this study, we investigated as possible antiviral agents substitution-inert cationic polynuclear platinum complexes (PPCs) that demonstrate charge-dependent high affinity for GAGs (Katner et al., 2018; Peterson et al., 2017). Certain PPCs had anti-HCMV activities in low micromolar concentrations and antiviral activity correlated with their GAG-binding affinity. Time of addition, removal, and mechanistic studies were consistent with PPCs binding to cells and blocking HCMV virion attachment; however, evidence also suggested that PPC/virion interactions could inhibit fibroblast but not epithelial cell infection. We hypothesize that the PPC-heparan sulfate interaction described here is a general approach to inhibition of virion/host cell attachment and viral entry mediated by other anionic GAGs and sialic acids on the cell surface. Through metalloshielding of the critical sulfate receptors, PPCs offer an attractive alternative to current antiviral compounds, with the potential to target a broad spectrum of viruses that utilize GAGs for attachment and entry.