Hesperetin Inhibits Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Replication by Downregulating the P38/JUN/FOS...

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Immunology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) causes substantial economic losses in the swine industry.
• Current commercial vaccines offer limited protection against PRRSV.
• There is a critical need for effective therapeutic treatments for PRRSV infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the antiviral activity of hesperetin (Hst) against PRRSV.
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying Hst's anti-PRRSV effects.
• To explore Hst as a potential therapeutic agent for PRRSV.

Main Methods:

• Cell culture experiments using Marc-145 and PAMs cells infected with PRRSV.
• Dose-dependent assessment of hesperetin's inhibitory effect on viral replication.
• Transcriptome analysis to identify affected cellular pathways.
• Western blot analysis to confirm the modulation of specific signaling molecules.

Main Results:

• Hesperetin demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibition of PRRSV replication in tested cell lines.
• Transcriptome analysis revealed that hesperetin's antiviral activity is associated with the suppression of the P38 MAPK pathway.
• Hesperetin significantly downregulated key genes including NRA41, JUN, FOS, and DUSP1.
• Further studies confirmed that hesperetin inhibits PRRSV by downregulating the P38/JUN/FOS signaling cascade.

Conclusions:

• Hesperetin exhibits significant antiviral properties against PRRSV.
• The P38/JUN/FOS signaling pathway is a key target for hesperetin's anti-PRRSV action.
• These findings suggest hesperetin as a promising candidate for developing novel preventive and therapeutic strategies against PRRSV.