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Shokry S, Hegazy A, Abbas AM, Mostafa I, Eissa IH, Metwaly AM, Yahya G, El-Shazly AM, Aboshanab KM, Mostafa A. Phytoestrogen β-Sitosterol Exhibits Potent In Vitro Antiviral Activity against Influenza A Viruses. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:228. [PMID: 36851106 PMCID: PMC9964242 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Influenza is a contagious infection in humans that is caused frequently by low pathogenic seasonal influenza viruses and occasionally by pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIV) of H5, H7, and H9 subtypes. Recently, the clinical sector in poultry and humans has been confronted with many challenges, including the limited number of antiviral drugs and the rapid evolution of drug-resistant variants. Herein, the anti-influenza activities of various plant-derived phytochemicals were investigated against highly pathogenic avian influenza A/H5N1 virus (HPAIV H5N1) and seasonal low pathogenic human influenza A/H1N1 virus (LPHIV H1N1). Out of the 22 tested phytochemicals, the steroid compounds β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol-O-glucoside have very potent activity against the predefined influenza A viruses (IAV). Both steroids could induce such activity by affecting multiple stages during IAV replication cycles, including viral adsorption and replication with a major and significant impact on the virus directly in a cell-free status "viricidal effect". On a molecular level, several molecular docking studies suggested that β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol-O-glucoside exhibited viricidal effects through blocking active binding sites of the hemagglutinin surface protein, as well as showing inhibitory effects against replication through the binding with influenza neuraminidase activity and blocking the active sites of the M2 proton channel activity. The phytoestrogen β-sitosterol has structural similarity with the active form of the female sex hormone estradiol, and this similarity is likely one of the molecular determinants that enables the phytoestrogen β-sitosterol and its derivative to control IAV infection in vitro. This promising anti-influenza activity of β-sitosterol and its O-glycoside derivative, according to both in vitro and cheminformatics studies, recommend both phytochemicals for further studies going through preclinical and clinical phases as efficient anti-influenza drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Shokry
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Akram Hegazy
- Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza District, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Ahmad M. Abbas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo 11566, Egypt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Salman International University (KSIU), Sinai 46612, Egypt
| | - Islam Mostafa
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim H. Eissa
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M. Metwaly
- Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Biopharmaceutical Products Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
| | - Galal Yahya
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
| | - Assem M. El-Shazly
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
- Faculty of Pharmacy, El Saleheya El Gadida University, El Saleheya El Gadida 44813, Sharkia, Egypt
| | - Khaled M. Aboshanab
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Mostafa
- Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
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