Evaluation and mechanism study of Pien Tze Huang against EV-A71 infection

• Published in: Frontiers in pharmacology Vol. 14; p. 1251731
• Main Authors: Wang, Huiqiang, Chen, Fenbei, Wang, Shicong, Li, Yuhuan, Liu, Ting, Li, Yinghong, Deng, Hongbin, Dong, Jingwen, Pang, Jing, Song, Danqing, Zhang, Dousheng, Yu, Juan, Wang, Yanxiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 26.10.2023
• Subjects: cytokine; enterovirus A71; host; multicomponent drug; Pharmacology; Pien Tze Huang; proteomics
• ISSN: 1663-9812; 1663-9812
• DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1251731

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) infection, currently lacks specific preventive and therapeutic interventions. Here, we demonstrated that Pien Tze Huang (PZH) could dose-dependently inhibit EV-A71 replication at the cellular level, resulting in significant reductions in EV-A71 virus protein 1 (VP1) expression and viral yields in Vero and human rhabdomyosarcoma cells. More importantly, we confirmed that PZH could protect mice from EV-A71 infection for the first time, with Ribavirin serving as a positive control. PZH treatment reduced EV-A71 VP1 protein expression, viral yields in infected muscles, and improved muscle pathology. Additionally, we conducted a preliminary mechanism study using quantitative proteomics. The results suggested that the suppression of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and NF-κB signaling pathways may contribute to the anti-EV-A71 activity of PZH. These findings provide strong evidence supporting the potential therapeutic application of PZH for EV-A71 infection management.