Isatin derivatives and their antiviral properties against arboviruses, a Review.

Arboviruses have been spreading rapidly throughout the Western Hemisphere in recent decades. Among the arboviruses with high morbidity and mortality are members of the Alphavirus and Flavivirus genera. Within the first genus, Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is considered one of the most challenging human arboviral infections with global significance and without any specific antiviral agent. Flaviviruses are some of the most important causes of encephalitis, haemorrhagic disease, and developmental defects. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), West Nile virus (WNV), dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are examples of flaviviruses without clinically approved antiviral agents. Thus, the search for new antivirals becomes highly important. One of the strategies that can be used to obtain new drugs is the identification and use of privileged structures. Isatin is an example of a privileged molecular framework, presenting a broad spectrum of biological activities, including antiviral activity. Obtaining and studying the antiviral properties of isatin derivatives has helped to identify important agents with potential activity against different arboviruses. This article reviews some of these isatin derivatives, their structures and antiviral properties reported against arboviruses.