In vitro antiviral efficacy of moroxydine hydrochloride and ribavirin against grass carp reovirus and giant salamander iridovirus

Effects on viral suppression and the early-immune expression of ribavirin against spring viremia of carp virus in vitro

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) is a globally distributed virus that causes severe clinical symptoms and high mortality in fish belonging to the families Cyprinidae and Siluridae. To protect the host against viral infection, understanding the relatedness between viral susceptibility and antiviral mechanisms must be crucial. Thus, we evaluated the viral suppression efficacy of ribavirin by measuring the transcription levels of viral and immune genes in vitro. The results showed that following ribavirin treatment after SVCV infection (MOI 0.1), ribavirin inhibited SVCV replication in epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells and completely inhibited viral gene (G and N) expression at concentrations above 10 μg/mL at 48 h post-infection. Ribavirin does not directly damage SVCV particles but inhibits early viral replication. In the absence of SVCV infection, the immunological dynamics triggered by ribavirin resulted in upregulated pattern recognition receptors and proinflammatory cytokine-related genes (i.e., PI3K, MYD88, IRAK1, RIG-І, MAVS, Mx1, TNF-α, and NF-κB). Furthermore, EPC cells treated with ribavirin following SVCV infection showed upregulation of PI3K, MYD88, IRAK1, RIG-І, TNF-α, and NF-κB genes within 24 h post-SVCV infection, suggesting that ribavirin positively inhibits the SVCV infection in vitro.

Polygonum cillinerve polysaccharide inhibits transmissible gastroenteritis virus by regulating microRNA-181

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is an important pathogen capable of altering the expression profile of cellular miRNA. In this study, the potential of Polygonum cillinerve polysaccharide (PCP) to treat TGEV-infected piglets was evaluated through in vivo experiments. High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to identify 9 up-regulated and 17 down-regulated miRNAs during PCP-mediated inhibition of TGEV infection in PK15 cells. Additionally, miR-181 was found to be associated with target genes of key proteins in the apoptosis pathway. PK15 cells were treated with various concentrations of PCP following transfection with miR-181 mimic or inhibitor. Real-time PCR assessed the impact on TGEV replication, while electron microscopy (TEM) and Hoechst fluorescence staining evaluated cellular functionality. Western blot analysis was utilized to assess the expression of key signaling factors-cytochrome C (cyt C), caspase 9, and P53-in the apoptotic signaling pathway. The results showed that compared with the control group, 250 μg/mL PCP significantly inhibited TGEV gRNA replication and gene N expression (P < 0.01). Microscopic examination revealed uniform cell morphology and fewer floating cells in PCP-treated groups (250 and 125 μg/mL). TEM analysis showed no typical virus structure in the 250 μg/mL PCP group, and apoptosis staining indicated a significant reduction in apoptotic cells at this concentration. Furthermore, PCP may inhibit TGEV-induced apoptosis via the Caspase-dependent mitochondrial pathway following miR-181 transfection. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further exploration into the mechanism of PCP's anti-TGEV properties.

Adamantoyl chloride inhibited replication of the largemouth bass virus via enhanced immunity and inhibition of apoptosis

The largemouth bass virus (LMBV) is a commonly encountered pathogen in aquaculture and presents significant challenges to development of the largemouth bass industry due to the lack of effective treatment methods. Here, the inhibitory potential and underlying mechanisms of adamantoyl chloride (AdCl) against LMBV were assessed both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that AdCl (IC50 = 72.35 μM) significantly inhibited replication of LMBV in epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells. The results of the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide and cytopathic effect (CPE) assays confirmed that AdCl inhibited replication of LMBV in EPC cells and significantly reduced the CPE effect, respectively. As a potential mechanism, AdCl inhibited apoptosis as determined by fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. The results of flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate was decreased by 69 % in the AdCl-treated group as compared to the LMBV-infected group. Additionally, AdCl inhibited viral release. In vivo, the survival rate was 16.2 % higher in the AdCl-treated group as compared to the LMBV-infected group (26.9 % vs. 10.7 %, respectively). Additionally, the results of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) showed that AdCl significantly reduced the viral load of the fish liver, spleen, and kidneys at 3, 6, and 9 days postinfection. In addition, RT-qPCR analysis found that AdCl upregulated expression of immune-related genes to suppress replication of LMBV. Collectively, these results confirmed the anti-LMBV activities of AdCl for use in the aquaculture industry.

Inhibition of the largemouth bass virus replication by piperine demonstrates potential application in aquaculture

Largemouth bass virus (LMBV) is a systemic viral pathogen that can cause high mortality rates in cultivated largemouth bass. However, no treatment is currently approved. Therapeutic strategies against LMBV infection are urgently needed. In this study, we investigated the antiviral activity of piperine against LMBV in vitro and in vivo. In vitro antiviral activity assay showed that 210.28 μM piperine significantly decreased LMBV major capsid protein (MCP) gene expression in epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells by a maximum inhibitory rate of >95%. Piperine treatment inhibited LMBV replication in a dose-dependent manner, with the half-maximal activity (IC₅₀ ) of 34.61 μM. Moreover, piperine significantly decreased the viral titers and cytopathic effects (CPE), contributing to the protection of infected cells. With regard to the steps of piperine affecting the life cycle of viruses, piperine had a direct inactivating effect on LMBV. During the virus adsorption phase, piperine prevented the adsorption of LMBV to EPC cells. Furthermore, piperine played an antiviral role mainly in the later stages of viral infection (4-8 h). To further evaluate the antiviral activity of piperine against LMBV in vivo, largemouth bass as a model organism was carried out in relevant experiments. Intraperitoneal injection of piperine (25 mg/kg) effectively improved the survival rate of LMBV-infected largemouth bass by 20%. In addition, RT-qPCR results of viral replication in liver, spleen, kidney, gill and swim bladder tissues showed that piperine significantly inhibited LMBV replication in vivo, thus protecting largemouth bass from LMBV-induced death. Together, our results suggested that piperine is a therapeutic and preventative agent against LMBV infection.

Antiviral Activity of Ribavirin against Tilapia tilapinevirus in Fish Cells

The outbreak of the novel Tilapia tilapinevirus or Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is having a severe economic impact on global tilapia aquaculture. Effective treatments and vaccines for TiLV are lacking. In this study, we demonstrated the antiviral activity of ribavirin against TiLV in E-11 cells. Our findings revealed that at concentrations above 100 μg/mL, ribavirin efficiently attenuates the cytopathic effect of the TiLV infection in fish cells. When administered in a dose-dependent manner, ribavirin significantly improved cell survival compared to the untreated control cells. Further investigation revealed that the cells exposed to ribavirin and TiLV had a lower viral load (p < 0.05) than the untreated cells. However, at concentrations above 1000 μg/mL, ribavirin led to cell toxicity. Taken together, our results demonstrate the efficacy of this antiviral drug against TiLV and could be a useful tool for future research on the pathogenesis and replication mechanism of TiLV as well as other piscine viruses.

Biguanides drugs: Past success stories and promising future for drug discovery

Biguanides have attracted much attention a century ago and showed resurgent interest in recent years after a long period of dormancy. They constitute an important class of therapeutic agents suitable for the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases. Therapeutic indications of biguanides include antidiabetic, antimalarial, antiviral, antiplaque, and bactericidal applications. This review presents an extensive overview of the biological activity of biguanides and different mechanisms of action of currently marketed biguanide-containing drugs, as well as their pharmacological properties when applicable. We highlight the recent developments in research on biguanide compounds, with a primary focus on studies on metformin in the field of oncology. We aim to provide a critical overview of all main bioactive biguanide compounds and discuss future perspectives for the design of new drugs based on the biguanide fragment.

Biguanides: Species with versatile therapeutic applications

Biguanides are compounds in which two guanidine moieties are fused to form a highly conjugated system. Biguanides are highly basic and hence they are available as salts mostly hydrochloride salts, these cationic species have been found to exhibit many therapeutic properties. This review covers the research and development carried out on biguanides and accounts the various therapeutic applications of drugs containing biguanide group-such as antimalarial, antidiabetic, antiviral, anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-tubercular, antifilarial, anti-HIV, as well as other biological activities. The aim of this review is to compile all the medicinal chemistry applications of this class of compounds so as to pave way for the accelerated efforts in finding the drug action mechanisms associated with this class of compounds. Importance has been given to the organic chemistry of these biguanide derivatives also.

Acyclovir inhibits channel catfish virus replication and protects channel catfish ovary cells from apoptosis

The channel catfish virus (CCV) can cause lethal hemorrhagic infection in channel catfish, resulting in significant economic losses in the fish industry. Effective drugs for the virus are still lacking. Acyclovir is known as a potent antiviral agent against human herpes viruses and some animal DNA viruses. The present study was undertaken to explore the antiviral response and mechanism of acyclovir against CCV in channel catfish ovary (CCO) cells. Acyclovir was able to significantly inhibit the expression of viral genes related to CCV viral DNA synthesis and suppress viral replication at a safe concentration. Furthermore, acyclovir blocked the cytopathic effects and apoptosis induced by CCV, thereby maintaining the normal cellular morphological structure, as shown by the protection of CCO cells from the formation of apoptotic bodies or nuclear fragmentation. Moreover, reverse transcript quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) demonstrated that acyclovir suppressed the expression of caspase 3, caspase 8 and caspase 9, while there was no significant impact on the expression of the apoptosis-inhibiting gene bcl-2 in CCV-infected cells. In addition, acyclovir did not promote the expression of immune-related genes such as MyD88, Mx1, IRF3, IRF7, IFN-I, NF-kB and IL-1β, suggesting that the antiviral activity of acyclovir to CCV infection is not achieved by facilitating the expression of immune-related genes in CCO cells. Taken together, the results from this study suggest that acyclovir could effectively regulate CCV-induced infection, and thus is a promising therapeutic agent against CCV. Our results will aid our understanding of the pharmacological mechanisms of antiviral agents.

Fast and simple determination of moroxydine residues in pig and chicken samples by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A general solid-phase extraction (SPE) method using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for the determination of moroxydine residues in pig and chicken samples has been developed. After extraction and purification of real samples, moroxydine residues were detected using a hydrophobic interaction liquid chromatography column with an optimised mobile phase composition. The extraction reagents, the kind of SPE columns and the type of eluents were optimised to achieve the maximum extraction efficiency. The matrix effects from the animal tissue influenced the quality of the quantitative data obtained. Under the optimised conditions, the moroxydine residues in pig and chicken samples spiked at three levels (1.0 μg/kg, 5.0 μg/kg and 10.0 μg/kg) were determined with good recoveries (61.5%-105.4%) and adequate relative standard deviations (3.2%-13.0%). In pig and chicken samples, the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.3 μg/kg, and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 1.0 μg/kg. A sufficiently linear relationship in the range of 1.0 μg/kg-20.0 μg/kg was achieved with a good correlation coefficient (R² ≥ 0.99).