Ethnopharmacological relevance

Jiawei-Yupingfeng-Tang (JYT) is a Chinese herbal formula that is widely used to treat respiratory tract illness. However, the effect of JYT on respiratory viruses remains unknown. The influenza virus (IFV) and the human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) cause millions of cases of severe illness per year, and many of these illnesses develop into lethal pneumonia. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether JYT can be used to treat these infections.

Materials and methods

The effect of JYT against IFV and HRSV was tested using a plaque reduction assay in the lower respiratory tract cell line A549. The expression of ICAM-1 was determined by real-time RT-PCR and western blotting. A mouse model infected with lethal influenza developing into interstitial pneumonia was used to evaluate the effect of JYT in vivo.

Results

JYT extract inhibited both IFV and HRSV in a dose-dependent manner when given before, during and after a viral infection. JYT was effective in blocking the entry of the virus. Furthermore, pre-treatment with JYT reduced the susceptibility of cells to the invasion of HRSV by inhibiting the expression of ICAM-1. Importantly, JYT extract increased the survival rate of lethal influenza-infected mice, prolonged the survival time and alleviated the virus-induced lung lesions, which is comparable with the effects of ribavirin treatment.

Conclusions

These data support JYT as an alternative modality to be used in the treatment of respiratory viral infection induced by HRSV and IFV.

中文翻译：

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中草药配方加味玉屏风汤可在体外和体内抑制呼吸道病毒感染

民族药理学意义

加味玉屏风汤（JYT）是一种中草药配方，被广泛用于治疗呼吸道疾病。然而，JYT对呼吸道病毒的作用仍然未知。流感病毒（IFV）和人类呼吸道合胞病毒（HRSV）每年引起数百万例严重疾病，其中许多疾病发展成致命性肺炎。这项研究的目的是评估JYT是否可以用于治疗这些感染。

材料和方法

在下呼吸道细胞系A549中使用噬斑减少试验测试了JYT对IFV和HRSV的作用。通过实时RT-PCR和蛋白质印迹法测定ICAM-1的表达。用感染致死性流感并发展为间质性肺炎的小鼠模型评估健脾活血汤的体内作用。

结果

JYT提取物在病毒感染之前，期间和之后以剂量依赖性方式抑制IFV和HRSV。JYT有效地阻止了病毒的进入。此外，用JYT预处理通过抑制ICAM-1的表达降低了细胞对HRSV侵袭的敏感性。重要的是，JYT提取物提高了致死性流感病毒感染小鼠的存活率，延长了存活时间并减轻了病毒引起的肺部损伤，这与利巴韦林治疗的效果相当。

结论

这些数据支持JYT作为替代方法，可用于治疗HRSV和IFV引起的呼吸道病毒感染。