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Updated: May 11, 2025

Measuring Attachment and Internalization of Influenza A Virus in A549 Cells by Flow Cytometry
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High Glucose Reduces Influenza and Parainfluenza Virus Productivity by Altering Glycolytic Pattern in A549 Cells

Kareem Awad1,2,3,4, Maha Abdelhadi5, Ahmed M Awad6

  • 1Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|April 17, 2025
PubMed

Insights

High glucose levels reduce influenza A and parainfluenza virus productivity in lung cells. This occurs with altered cell metabolism and decreased interferon-beta (IFN-β) mRNA expression, impacting viral infection outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Cell Biology
  • Metabolic Research

Background:

  • Influenza A viruses cause widespread epidemics and pandemics.
  • Parainfluenza viruses are significant contributors to respiratory infections and chronic lung disease.
  • Understanding host-pathogen interactions under metabolic stress is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of high glucose on influenza A and Sendai virus replication in A549 cells.
  • To analyze metabolic changes, specifically glycolysis, during viral infection under hyperglycemic conditions.
  • To examine the modulation of key cytokine gene expression, including interferon-beta (IFN-β) and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1), by high glucose during viral infections.

Main Methods:

  • Culturing A549 immortalized cells in normal and high-glucose conditions.
  • Monitoring viral productivity through virus yield quantification.
  • Assessing cellular metabolism by measuring lactate release and phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity.
  • Quantifying viral and cellular cytokine mRNA levels using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Main Results:

  • High glucose conditions significantly reduced the productivity of both influenza A and Sendai viruses.
  • Increased lactate production and altered PFK activity were observed in high-glucose cultured cells during infection.
  • Interferon-beta (IFN-β) mRNA expression was significantly decreased under high glucose, particularly during early infection stages.
  • Influenza A H1N1 virus modulated TGF-β1 mRNA expression differently compared to Sendai virus in high glucose.

Conclusions:

  • High glucose concentrations negatively impact influenza and parainfluenza virus replication in vitro.
  • Metabolic alterations and suppressed IFN-β expression in high glucose may contribute to reduced viral productivity.
  • These findings suggest that hyperglycemia could influence the course of viral respiratory infections and warrants consideration for personalized diagnostics and therapeutics.
Keywords:
Sendai virusTGF-β1glycolysisinfluenzaphosphofructokinase

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