Pei Yaping, Chen Zhihua, Zhao Ruihan, An Yanxing, Yisihaer Haiche, Wang Chaojie, Bai Yaning, Liang Libin, Jin Lin, Hu Yongting
Shanxi Key Laboratory for Modernization of TCVM, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China.
Antibiotics (Basel). 2024 Jun 28;13(7):606. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13070606.
Influenza viruses are the leading cause of upper respiratory tract infections, leading to several global pandemics and threats to public health. Due to the continuous mutation of influenza A viruses, there is a constant need for the development of novel antiviral therapeutics. Recently, natural antimicrobial peptides have provided an opportunity for the discovery of anti-influenza molecules. Here, we designed several peptides based on pheasant cathelicidin and tested their antiviral activities and mechanisms against the H1N1 virus. Of note, the designed peptides Pc-4 and Pc-5 were found to inhibit replication of the H1N1 virus with an IC50 = 8.14 ± 3.94 µM and 2.47 ± 1.95 µM, respectively. In addition, the cyclic peptide Pc-5 was found to induce type I interferons and the expression of interferon-induced genes. An animal study showed that the cyclic peptide Pc-5 effectively inhibited H1N1 virus infection in a mouse model. Taken together, our work reveals a strategy for designing cyclic peptides and provides novel molecules with therapeutic potential against influenza A virus infection.
流感病毒是上呼吸道感染的主要病因，引发了数次全球大流行，对公众健康构成威胁。由于甲型流感病毒不断变异，持续需要开发新型抗病毒疗法。最近，天然抗菌肽为抗流感分子的发现提供了契机。在此，我们基于雉鸡cathelicidin设计了几种肽，并测试了它们对H1N1病毒的抗病毒活性及作用机制。值得注意的是，所设计的肽Pc-4和Pc-5被发现能够抑制H1N1病毒的复制，其IC50分别为8.14±3.94µM和2.47±1.95µM。此外，发现环肽Pc-5可诱导I型干扰素及干扰素诱导基因的表达。一项动物研究表明，环肽Pc-5在小鼠模型中有效抑制了H1N1病毒感染。综上所述，我们的工作揭示了一种设计环肽的策略，并提供了具有抗甲型流感病毒感染治疗潜力的新型分子。
