Anti-BVDV Activity of Traditional Chinese Medicine Monomers Targeting NS5B (RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase) In Vitro and In Vivo

Natural products have emerged as rising stars for treating viral diseases and useful chemical scaffolds for developing effective therapeutic agents. The nonstructural protein NS5B (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) of NADL strain BVDV was used as the action target based on a molecular docking technique to screen herbal monomers for anti-BVDV viral activity. The in vivo and in vitro anti-BVDV virus activity studies screened the Chinese herbal monomers with significant anti-BVDV virus effects, and their antiviral mechanisms were initially explored. The molecular docking screening showed that daidzein, curcumin, artemisinine, and apigenin could interact with BVDV-NADL-NS5B with the best binding energy fraction. In vitro and in vivo tests demonstrated that none of the four herbal monomers significantly affected MDBK cell activity. Daidzein and apigenin affected BVDV virus replication mainly in the attachment and internalization phases, artemisinine mainly in the replication phase, and curcumin was active in the attachment, internalization, replication, and release phases. In vivo tests demonstrated that daidzein was the most effective in preventing and protecting BALB/C mice from BVDV infection, and artemisinine was the most effective in treating BVDV infection. This study lays the foundation for developing targeted Chinese pharmaceutical formulations against the BVDV virus.

Automated summary

Natural products have been recognized as valuable resources for the treatment of viral diseases and the development of effective therapeutic agents. This study focused on screening Chinese herbal monomers for their anti-BVDV viral activity using a molecular docking technique. The results showed that daidzein, curcumin, artemisinine, and apigenin were the most promising herbal monomers for interacting with the nonstructural protein NS5B of BVDV-NADL strain. In vivo and in vitro tests further demonstrated the effectiveness of daidzein and artemisinine in preventing and treating BVDV infection, providing a foundation for developing targeted Chinese pharmaceutical formulations against this virus.