<i>Scutellaria barbata</i> D. Don extracts alleviate SARS-CoV-2 induced acute lung injury by inhibiting virus replication and bi-directional immune modulation

Yan Ran; Zinuo Chen; Carolina Q. Sacramento; Lingyuan Fan; Qinghua Cui; Lijun Rong; Ruikun Du

doi:10.1016/j.virs.2025.04.004

June 2025

. doi: 10.1016/j.virs.2025.04.004

Citation: Yan Ran, Zinuo Chen, Carolina Q. Sacramento, Lingyuan Fan, Qinghua Cui, Lijun Rong, Ruikun Du. Scutellaria barbata D. Don extracts alleviate SARS-CoV-2 induced acute lung injury by inhibiting virus replication and bi-directional immune modulation .VIROLOGICA SINICA, 2025, 40(3) : 430-438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virs.2025.04.004

半枝莲提取物通过直接抗病毒和双向免疫调节治疗新型冠状病毒感染

冉艳 ^a ,
陈子诺 ^a ,
Carolina Q. Sacramento ^b ,
范灵渊 ^a ,
崔清华 ^a,, ,
荣立军 ^b,, ,
杜瑞坤 ^a,,

a 山东中医药大学青岛中医药科学院, 青岛 266122;
b Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago

通讯作者： 崔清华, cuiqinghua@sdutcm.edu.cn; 荣立军, lijun@uic.edu; 杜瑞坤, ruikun@sdutcm.edu.cn
收稿日期： 2024-12-16
录用日期： 2025-04-08

摘要

新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）变异株及耐药突变株的持续出现，使得新型抗SARS-CoV-2药物研发依然是社会的迫切需求。本研究系统评估了中药半枝莲（Scutellaria barbata D. Don）治疗SARS-CoV-2感染的潜力。利用基于病毒复制子颗粒（viral replicon particle, VRP）的SARS-CoV-2感染小鼠替代模型，研究发现半枝莲提取物可显著降低肺组织病毒载量，并缓解病毒感染诱导的急性肺损伤。体外实验进一步证实，半枝莲提取物能直接抑制SARS-CoV-2的复制。机制研究表明，半枝莲可通过多重活性成分靶向3CLpro及PLpro等病毒因子发挥抗病毒作用。此外，半枝莲对宿主炎症反应具有双向调节作用，可有效减轻病毒诱导的急性肺损伤。总之，本研究证实半枝莲具有良好的抗SARS-CoV-2活性，具有进一步开发为抗SARS-CoV-2药物的潜力和价值。
- 新型冠状病毒
- , 半枝莲
- , 抗病毒
- , 双向免疫调节

Scutellaria barbata D. Don extracts alleviate SARS-CoV-2 induced acute lung injury by inhibiting virus replication and bi-directional immune modulation

a. Qingdao Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qingdao 266122, China;
b. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA

Corresponding author: Qinghua Cui, cuiqinghua@sdutcm.edu.cn Lijun Rong, lijun@uic.edu Ruikun Du, ruikun@sdutcm.edu.cn
Received Date: 16 December 2024
Accepted Date: 08 April 2025

Abstract

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and drug-resistant mutants emphasizes the urgent need to develop novel antiviral agents. In the present study, we examined the therapeutic effect of the Chinese medicinal herb, Scutellaria barbata D. Don (SBD), against SARS-CoV-2 infection both in vitro and in vivo. Using a viral replicon particle (VRP)-based mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, our study revealed that SBD extracts can reduce viral load in mouse lungs and alleviate the viral induced pneumonia. In vitro antiviral determination further validated the direct acting antiviral efficacy of SBD extracts against SARS-CoV-2 replication. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that SBD can act against SARS-CoV-2 replication by targeting both 3-chymotrypsin-like and papain-like cysteine proteases, via a combination of multiple active constituents. Moreover, SBD can modulate the host inflammation response in a bi-directional manner, which also contribute to the mitigation of viral induced acute lung injury. In summary, our study provides SBD as a promising therapeutic agent to combat SARS-CoV-2 infections that merit further development.
- SARS-CoV-2
- , Scutellaria barbata D. Don
- , Antiviral
- , Bi-directional immune modulation

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Electronic Supplementary Material

10.1016j.virs.2025.05.004-ESM.docx