2. Academic Validation
  3. Venenum bufonis and its active constituents alleviate RSV-induced pneumonia in mice by suppressing macrophage infiltration and NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Venenum bufonis and its active constituents alleviate RSV-induced pneumonia in mice by suppressing macrophage infiltration and NLRP3 inflammasome activation

  • Virus Res. 2026 Jan:363:199672. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199672.
Hui Cai 1,  Lijing Hou 2,  Jingjie Chang 1,  Qing Yang 2,  Mingming Wang 2,  Lin Wang 2,  Yao Li 1,  Xueting Cai 1,  Jie Yang 3,  Peng Cao 4,  Jiao Chen 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Jiangsu Provincial Integrated Innovation Center of Hospital Preparations, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210028, China.
  • 2 Shandong Academy of Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China.
  • 3 Jiangsu Provincial Integrated Innovation Center of Hospital Preparations, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210028, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 4 Jiangsu Provincial Integrated Innovation Center of Hospital Preparations, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210028, China; State Key Laboratory on Technologies for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Control and Intelligent Manufacture, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China; Shandong Academy of Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 5 Jiangsu Provincial Integrated Innovation Center of Hospital Preparations, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210028, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41349590 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199672
Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and the elderly, with limited treatment options. Venenum bufonis (Vb), a traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits broad pharmacological activities including Antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects, but its potential against RSV-induced pneumonia remains unclear. This study evaluates Vb's therapeutic effects and mechanisms in RSV-infected pneumonia and identifies its key active constituents. RSV pneumonia was induced in C57BL/6 mice via intranasal inoculation. Mice were treated with Vb or ribavirin intraperitoneally for five days. Lung pathology, viral gene, inflammatory cytokine gene expression, NLRP3 pathway activation, and immune cell infiltration were assessed using H&E staining, electron microscopy, RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, RNA Sequencing and flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that Vb treatment significantly reduced lung tissue damage, mRNA levels of RSV-N protein, proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) and type II interferon (IFN-γ), and enhanced the mRNA levels of type I interferons (IFN-α/β). Furthermore, Vb markedly decreased macrophage infiltration and suppressed mRNA expression of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and IL-1β in lung tissue, suggesting it may alleviate RSV pneumonia by inhibiting macrophage-driven inflammation and NLRP3 activation. Additionally, bufalin, cinobufagin, and resibufogenin were identified as likely bioactive constituents mediating Vb's therapeutic effects. This study provides a scientific basis for the potential application of Vb in the treatment of RSV-induced pneumonia.

Keywords

Macrophages; NLRP3; Pneumonia; Respiratory syncytial virus; Venenum bufonis.

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