Anti-influenza A virus activity by Agrimonia pilosa and Galla rhois extract mixture

Yong Hyun Joo, Yeong Geun Lee, Younghyun Lim, Hoyeon Jeon, In Gu Lee, Yong Bin Cho, So Hee Hong, Eui Ho Kim, Soon Ho Choi, Jung Woong Kim, Se Chan Kang, Young Jin Seo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Influenza A virus (IAV) continues to threaten human health. To date, two classes of antiviral drugs have been approved to treat IAV infection, but the continuous emergence of the drug-resistant IAV mutant reinforces the need to develop new antiviral drugs. In this study, we aimed to investigate the anti-IAV activity of an aqueous mixture of Agrimonia pilosa and Galla rhois extracts (APRG64). We demonstrated that APRG64 significantly reduced the IAV-induced cytopathic effect, the transcription/expression of viral proteins, and the production of infectious viral particles. Among nine major components of APRG64, apigenin was identified as the main ingredient responsible for the anti-IAV activity. Interestingly, APRG64 and apigenin inhibited the cell attachment and entry of virus and polymerase activity. Importantly, intranasal administration of APRG64 or apigenin strongly reduced viral loads in the lungs of IAV-infected mice. Furthermore, oral administration of APRG64 significantly reduced the level of viral RNAs and the expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the lungs, which protected mice from IAV-induced mortality. In conclusion, APRG64 could be an attractive antiviral drug to treat IAV infection.

Original languageEnglish
Article number113773
JournalBiomedicine and Pharmacotherapy
Volume155
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government [grant number NRF-2018R1A5A1025077 and 2020R1A6A3A01100042 ] and the Chung-Ang University Graduate Research Scholarship in 2021.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors

Keywords

  • APRG64
  • Antiviral drug
  • Apigenin
  • Influenza A virus

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