Blebbistatin as a novel antiviral agent targeting equid herpesvirus type 8

作者：Liangliang Li, Xiu Ji Cui, Yue Yu, Qi Sun, Wenjing Li, Yubao Li, Shuwen Li, Li Chen, Muhammad Zahoor Khan, Changfa Wang, Tongtong Wang · 发表于：Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fvets.2024.1390304 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments、Viral-associated cancers and disorders、Animal Virus Infections Studies

Introduction Equid herpesvirus type 8 (EqHV-8) poses a significant threat to equine health, leading to miscarriages and respiratory diseases in horses and donkeys, and results in substantial economic losses in the donkey industry. Currently, there are no effective drugs or vaccines available for EqHV-8 infection control. Methods In this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antiviral efficacy of Blebbistatin, a myosin II ATPase inhibitor, against EqHV-8. Results Our results demonstrated that Blebbistatin significantly inhibited EqHV-8 infection in Rabbit kidney (RK-13) and Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Notably, Blebbistatin was found to disrupt EqHV-8 infection at the entry stage by modulating myosin II ATPase activity. Moreover, in vivo experiments revealed that Blebbistatin effectively reduced EqHV-8 replication and mitigated lung pathology in a mouse model. Conclusion Collectively, these findings suggest that Blebbistatin holds considerable potential as an antiviral agent for the control of EqHV-8 infection, presenting a novel approach to addressing this veterinary challenge.