Punicalagin Inhibits African Swine Fever Virus Replication by Targeting Early Viral Stages and Modulating Inflammatory Pathways

  • Vet Sci. 2024 Sep 19;11(9):440. doi: 10.3390/vetsci11090440.
Renhao Geng  1  2 ,  Dan Yin  1  2 ,  Yingnan Liu  3 ,  Hui Lv  1  2 ,  Xiaoyu Zhou  1  2 ,  Chunhui Bao  1  2 ,  Lang Gong  4 ,  Hongxia Shao  1  2 ,  Kun Qian  1  2 ,  Hongjun Chen  3 ,  Aijian Qin  1  2
Affiliations
  • 1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
  • 2. Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
  • 3. Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai 200241, China.
  • 4. College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510640, China.
PMID: 39330819 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci11090440
Abstract

African swine fever (ASF), caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), has resulted in significant losses in the global pig industry. Considering the absence of effective vaccines, developing drugs against ASFV may be a crucial strategy for its prevention and control in the future. In this study, punicalagin, a polyphenolic substance extracted from pomegranate peel, was found to significantly inhibit ASFV replication in MA-104, PK-15, WSL, and 3D4/21 cells by screening an Antiviral compound library containing 536 compounds. Time-of-addition studies demonstrated that punicalagin acted on early viral replication stages, impinging on viral attachment and internalization. Meanwhile, punicalagin could directly inactivate the virus according to virucidal assay. RT-qPCR and Western blot results indicated that punicalagin modulated the NF-κB/STAT3/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway and reduced the levels of inflammatory mediators induced by ASFV. In conclusion, this study reveals the anti-ASFV activity of punicalagin and the mechanism of action, which may have great potential for developing effective drugs against ASFV.

Keywords
African swine fever virus; NF-κB/STAT3/NLRP3; library screen; punicalagin; replication stages.
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