Inhibitory effects of baicalein against herpes simplex virus type 1.

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a ubiquitous and widespread human pathogen, which gives rise to a range of diseases, including cold sores, corneal blindness, and encephalitis. Currently, the use of nucleoside analogs, such as acyclovir and penciclovir, in treating HSV-1 infection often presents limitation due to their side effects and low efficacy for drug-resistance strains. Therefore, new anti-herpetic drugs and strategies should be urgently developed. Here, we reported that baicalein, a naturally derived compound widely used in Asian countries, strongly inhibited HSV-1 replication in several models. Baicalein was effective against the replication of both HSV-1/F and HSV-1/Blue (an acyclovir-resistant strain) in vitro. In the ocular inoculation mice model, baicalein markedly reduced in vivo HSV-1/F replication, receded inflammatory storm and attenuated histological changes in the cornea. Consistently, baicalein was found to reduce the mortality of mice, viral loads both in nose and trigeminal ganglia in HSV-1 intranasal infection model. Moreover, an ex vivo HSV-1-EGFP infection model established in isolated murine epidermal sheets confirmed that baicalein suppressed HSV-1 replication. Further investigations unraveled that dual mechanisms, inactivating viral particles and inhibiting IκB kinase beta (IKK-β) phosphorylation, were involved in the anti-HSV-1 effect of baicalein. Collectively, our findings identified baicalein as a promising therapy candidate against the infection of HSV-1, especially acyclovir-resistant strain.

• Authors: Zhuo Luo, Xiu-Ping Kuang, Qing-Qing Zhou, Chang-Yu Yan, Wen Li, Hai-Biao Gong, Hiroshi Kurihara, Wei-Xi Li, Yi-Fang Li, Rong-Rong He
• Journal: Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B (Acta Pharm Sin B) Vol. 10 Issue 12 Pg. 2323-2338 (Dec 2020) ISSN: 2211-3835 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 33354504 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2020 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.