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Viruses. 2015 Dec 25;8(1). pii: E6. doi: 10.3390/v8010006.
Quercetin as an Antiviral Agent Inhibits Influenza A Virus (IAV) Entry.
Wu W1, Li R2, Li X3, He J4, Jiang S5,6, Liu S7, Yang J8,9.
Author information
Abstract
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) cause seasonal pandemics and epidemics with high morbidity and mortality, which calls for effective anti-IAV agents. The glycoprotein hemagglutinin of influenza virus plays a crucial role in the initial stage of virus infection, making it a potential target for anti-influenza therapeutics development. Here we found that quercetin inhibited influenza infection with a wide spectrum of strains, including A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1), A/FM-1/47/1 (H1N1), and A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2) with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 7.756 ? 1.097, 6.225 ? 0.467, and 2.738 ? 1.931 μg/mL, respectively. Mechanism studies identified that quercetin showed interaction with the HA2 subunit. Moreover, quercetin could inhibit the entry of the H5N1 virus using the pseudovirus-based drug screening system. This study indicates that quercetin showing inhibitory activity in the early stage of influenza infection provides a future therapeutic option to develop effective, safe and affordable natural products for the treatment and prophylaxis of IAV infections.
KEYWORDS:
entry inhibitor; hemagglutinin; influenza A virus; quercetin
Quercetin as an Antiviral Agent Inhibits Influenza A Virus (IAV) Entry.
Wu W1, Li R2, Li X3, He J4, Jiang S5,6, Liu S7, Yang J8,9.
Author information
Abstract
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) cause seasonal pandemics and epidemics with high morbidity and mortality, which calls for effective anti-IAV agents. The glycoprotein hemagglutinin of influenza virus plays a crucial role in the initial stage of virus infection, making it a potential target for anti-influenza therapeutics development. Here we found that quercetin inhibited influenza infection with a wide spectrum of strains, including A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1), A/FM-1/47/1 (H1N1), and A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2) with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 7.756 ? 1.097, 6.225 ? 0.467, and 2.738 ? 1.931 μg/mL, respectively. Mechanism studies identified that quercetin showed interaction with the HA2 subunit. Moreover, quercetin could inhibit the entry of the H5N1 virus using the pseudovirus-based drug screening system. This study indicates that quercetin showing inhibitory activity in the early stage of influenza infection provides a future therapeutic option to develop effective, safe and affordable natural products for the treatment and prophylaxis of IAV infections.
KEYWORDS:
entry inhibitor; hemagglutinin; influenza A virus; quercetin