Zhao Xiwen, Dai Xuan, Wang Fuyi, Li Chenyang, Song Xun, Han Yingying, Zhang Chaowei, Wang Lu, He Zhendan, Zhang Rongping, Ye Liang
College of Chinese Medicine, School of Chinese Materia Medica and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Southern Medicine Utilization, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650500, China; Department of Immunology, International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Department of Immunology, International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Virol Sin. 2025 Apr;40(2):247-259. doi: 10.1016/j.virs.2025.03.001. Epub 2025 Mar 3.
Artemisia annua L. is a medicinal herb with multiple therapeutic applications, whereas its anti-influenza A virus (IAV) efficiency and mechanism of action are still unclear. Here, we investigated the inhibition activity and mechanism of A. annua leaf methanol extracts (AALME) against IAV in vitro and in vivo. Our results revealed that AALME exhibits potent anti-IAV activity by interacting with IAV particles. Mechanistically, AALME directly targets the IAV nucleoprotein (NP) protein and abolishes the nuclear import of IAV NP. AALME profoundly suppresses IAV-induced mitochondrial apoptosis via suppressing ROS-mediated AIF-dependent pathways. More importantly, we found that AALME plays a crucial role in protecting mice from IAV infection and mitigating IAV pathogenicity. This current work provides mechanistic insight into the mechanism by which AALME controls IAV infection in vitro and in vivo, potentially contributing to the development of antiviral treatments for IAV infection.
青蒿是一种具有多种治疗用途的草药，但其抗甲型流感病毒（IAV）的效率和作用机制仍不清楚。在此，我们研究了青蒿叶甲醇提取物（AALME）在体外和体内对IAV的抑制活性和作用机制。我们的结果表明，AALME通过与IAV颗粒相互作用表现出强大的抗IAV活性。从机制上讲，AALME直接靶向IAV核蛋白（NP）并消除IAV NP的核输入。AALME通过抑制ROS介导的AIF依赖性途径，深刻抑制IAV诱导的线粒体凋亡。更重要的是，我们发现AALME在保护小鼠免受IAV感染和减轻IAV致病性方面起着关键作用。这项工作为AALME在体外和体内控制IAV感染的机制提供了深入了解，可能有助于开发针对IAV感染的抗病毒治疗方法。
