Viruses . Chemically Modified Bovine β-Lactoglobulin as a Broad-Spectrum Influenza Virus Entry Inhibitor with the Potential to Combat Influenza Outbreaks

[tetano]

Viruses


. 2022 Sep 16;14(9):2055.
doi: 10.3390/v14092055.
Chemically Modified Bovine β-Lactoglobulin as a Broad-Spectrum Influenza Virus Entry Inhibitor with the Potential to Combat Influenza Outbreaks


Yuhong Fu ¹ , Peiyu Li ^{1 2} , Wei Xu ¹ , Zezhong Liu ¹ , Cong Wang ¹ , Qian Wang ¹ , Jiayi Tang ¹ , Weihua Li ³ , Lu Lu ¹ , Shibo Jiang ^{1 2 3}



Affiliations

• PMID: 36146861
• DOI: 10.3390/v14092055

Abstract

Frequent outbreaks of the highly pathogenic influenza A virus (AIV) infection, together with the lack of broad-spectrum influenza vaccines, call for the development of broad-spectrum prophylactic agents. Previously, 3-hydroxyphthalic anhydride-modified bovine β-lactoglobulin (3HP-β-LG) was proven to be effective against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and it has also been used in the clinical control of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Here, we show its efficacy in potently inhibiting infection by divergent influenza A and B viruses. Mechanistic studies suggest that 3HP-β-LG binds, possibly through its negatively charged residues, to the receptor-binding domain in the hemagglutinin 1 (HA1) subunit in the HA of the influenza virus, thus inhibiting the attachment of the HA to sialic acid on host cells. The intranasal administration of 3HP-β-LG led to the protection of mice against challenges by influenza A(H1N1)/PR8, A(H3N2), and A(H7N9) viruses. Furthermore, 3HP-β-LG is highly stable when stored at 50 °C for 30 days and it shows excellent safety in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our findings suggest that 3HP-β-LG could be successfully repurposed as an intranasal prophylactic agent to prevent influenza virus infections during influenza outbreaks.

Keywords: bovine β-lactoglobulin; broad-spectrum; chemical modification; influenza virus; prevention; viral entry inhibitor.