Figure 2.

Prophylactic and virucidal activity of the (p-BthTX-I)₂K peptide. (A) BHK-21 cells pretreated with the peptide at 12.5 µM showed no protection against CHIKV-NLuc infection (MOI of 0.1). (B) Treatment of Vero cells with peptide at 25 µM protected cells against infection with ZIKV^BR (MOI of 0.1). (C) The peptide treatment at 12.5 µM exerted no impact on CHIKV virions. (D) The peptide at 25 µM exerted no impact on the ZIKV^BR virions. CHIKV replication was analyzed via measurement of the NLuc activity 16 h.p.i. The RNA levels of ZIKV^BR in the cell culture supernatant were quantified via qRT–PCR 48 h.p.i. Mean values ±  SDs represent data from a minimum of three independent experiments that were each performed in quadruplicate for the CHIKV experiments and in duplicate for the ZIKV experiments. **** p ≤ 0.0001. VC: vehicle control (sterile water). A schematic representation of the respective experiment is shown above each graph.