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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Assays for the Specific Growth Rate and Cell-binding Ability of Rotavirus
Published on: January 28, 2019
Anti-NSP4 antibody can block rotavirus-induced diarrhea in mice
Zongliu Hou1, Yongkun Huang, Youming Huan
1Research Laboratory Center, Yan'an Hospital of Kunming City, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China. hzl579@163.com
Background:
Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of infectious diarrhea and gastroenteritis among children worldwide. The viral proteins (VP), especially VP4- and VP7-induced neutralizing antibodies, were considered to be critical in protective immunity to rotavirus disease. However, whether the antibody to rotavirus nonstructural protein 4 (NSP4) protects against rotavirus-induced diarrhea directly is not completely clear, especially for the protective time course.
Materials And Methods:
To obtain direct evidence, 12-day-old ICR mice were treated with NSP4 and entire rotavirus to induce diarrhea.
Results:
Both NSP4 and rotavirus-treated mice developed diarrhea, which was accompanied by histological changes in the small intestine compared to age-matched control mice. Anti-NSP4 antibody demonstrated protection against both entire rotavirus-induced diarrhea and NSP4-induced diarrhea. The histological changes in the small intestinal were reversible. These data show that early intervention with anti-NSP4 antibody can prevent rotavirus-induced diarrhea in mice; late intervention with anti-NSP4 antibody could halt diarrhea progression in mice.
Conclusions:
Our findings demonstrate for the first time that administration of anti-NSP4 antibody is effective both prior to and during the time course of rotavirus infection. These observations extend our knowledge of rotavirus infection and its therapeutic options.
