Nature Communications magazine noted that during a study on the disease and ways to combat it, scientists discovered that the sialokinin protein found in the saliva of the mosquito that transmits the disease interacts directly with receptors on human immune cells and is capable of "shifting" the body's inflammatory response.
The results showed that the sialokinin protein temporarily weakens the activity of monocytes and macrophages—the first cells to respond to a viral invasion. This mechanism helps the virus penetrate tissues more quickly, while at the same time preventing excessive inflammation responsible for the joint pain and swelling associated with chikungunya.
To understand how this mechanism works, researchers have proposed using it in reverse to develop drugs that can inhibit the spread of the virus and control inflammation. In animal experiments, blocking the receptors that sialokinin interacts with reduced viral load and tissue inflammation without compromising immune defenses.
Researchers assert that intervening in this mechanism could become a new strategy for stopping the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, including chikungunya, dengue fever, and West Nile fever.
