an Indigenous Medicinal Plant from Mascarene Islands, Is a Potent Inhibitor of Zika and Dengue Virus Infection in Human Cells.

Zika virus (ZIKV) and Dengue virus (DENV) are mosquito-borne viruses of the genus that could cause congenital microcephaly and hemorrhage, respectively, in humans, and thus present a risk to global public health. A preventive vaccine against ZIKV remains unavailable, and no specific antiviral drugs against ZIKV and DENV are licensed. Medicinal plants may be a source of natural antiviral drugs which mostly target viral entry. In this study, we evaluate the antiviral activity of , an indigenous medicinal plant from the Mascarene Islands, against ZIKV and DENV infection. Our data indicated that exhibited potent antiviral activity against a contemporary epidemic strain of ZIKV and clinical isolates of four DENV serotypes at non-cytotoxic concentrations in human cells. Time-of-drug-addition assays revealed that extract acts on ZIKV entry by preventing the internalisation of virus particles into the host cells. Our data suggest that -mediated ZIKV inhibition relates to virus particle inactivation. We suggest that could be a promising natural source for the development of potential antivirals against medically important flaviviruses.