In-vitro antiviral activity of doxepin hydrochloride against group B coxsackievirus

Group B coxsackievirus is an Enterovirus that can cause a variety of diseases, including myocarditis, aseptic meningitis, and hand, foot, and mouth disease. Currently, there is no effective Antiviral drug against this virus. In this study, we used a cytopathic effect-based viral inhibition assay to screen an FDA-approved drug library and found that doxepin hydrochloride had potential Antiviral activity. Doxepin hydrochloride exhibited strong Antiviral activity against coxsackievirus B types 1-3 with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 10.12 ± 0.85 μM. Moreover, doxepin hydrochloride did not exert Antiviral activity against other enteroviruses, including Enterovirus A71 (subtypes BrCr/C4) and coxsackievirus A (subtypes 6/10/16). Furthermore, doxepin hydrochloride inhibited virus replication in the early stage of the Infection cycle rather than affecting the entry or assembly process. In addition, a few mechanism-related pharmacophores were discovered through gene association network analysis. These findings identify a possible lead compound for treating coxsackievirus B Infection and simultaneously offer valuable clues for drug repositioning.