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Updated: Feb 26, 2026
Early Viral Entry Assays for the Identification and Evaluation of Antiviral Compounds
Published on: October 29, 2015
A cinnamon-derived procyanidin type A compound inhibits hepatitis C virus cell entry
Catherine Fauvelle1,2, Melanie Lambotin1,2,3, Laura Heydmann1,2
1Inserm, U1110, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, Strasbourg, France.
Background And Aims:
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of liver disease worldwide. Although direct-acting antivirals can cure the large majority of treated patients, important limitations remain, including treatment failure and high costs precluding access to therapy in resource-limited settings. We report herein the anti-HCV effects of IND02, a procyanidin type A molecule, isolated and characterized from cinnamon.
Methods And Results:
Using cellculture-derived HCV (HCVcc), HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp), and subgenomic replicons, we demonstrated that IND02 markedly and dose-dependently inhibited HCV cell entry. Kinetic assays demonstrated that IND02 inhibits HCV entry most likely at a postbinding step. Experiments performed using primary human hepatocytes confirmed inhibition of HCV entry by IND02, demonstrating the functional impact in the most physiological cell-based system for studying HCV-host interactions.
Conclusions:
The natural compound IND02 exhibits potent HCV cell entry inhibition and provides a novel perspective for development of a low-cost antiviral for treatment of HCV infection.
