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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Identifying Inhibitors of the HBx-DDB1 Interaction Using a Split Luciferase Assay System
Published on: December 21, 2019
Bioactivity-guided screening identifies pheophytin a as a potent anti-hepatitis C virus compound from Lonicera
Sheng-Yang Wang1, Ching-Ping Tseng, Keng-Chang Tsai
1Department of Forestry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
Abstract:
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide public issue. In this study, we performed bioactivity-guided screening of the Lonicera hypoglauca Miq. crude extracts to find for naturally chemical entities with anti-HCV activity. Pheophytin a was identified from the ethanol-soluble fraction of L. hypoglauca that elicited dose-dependent inhibition of HCV viral proteins and RNA expression in both replicon cells and cell culture infectious system. Computational modeling revealed that pheophytin a can bind to the active site of HCV-NS3, suggesting that NS3 is a potent molecular target of pheophytin a. Biochemical analysis further revealed that pheophytin a inhibited NS3 serine protease activity with IC(50)=0.89 microM. Notably, pheophytin a and IFNalpha-2a elicited synergistic anti-HCV activity in replicon cells with no significant cytotoxicity. This study thereby demonstrates for the first time that pheophytin a is a potent HCV-NS3 protease inhibitor and offers insight for development of novel anti-HCV regimens.
