Reactive oxygen species promotion drives auranofin's antiviral activity against hepatitis E virus.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes roughly 20 million yearly global infections and is associated with chronic hepatitis, neurological sequelae, and pregnancy-related adverse outcomes that require antiviral intervention. While there are no approved HEV-specific therapeutics, ribavirin and pegylated interferon, prescribed off-label, remain the current standard of care. However, ribavirin resistance and toxicity highlight the unmet clinical need to identify safer, HEV-specific antivirals. Here, we identify reactive oxygen species (ROS) promotion as a previously unrecognized host-directed antiviral mechanism against HEV, revealed through the activity of the FDA-approved drug auranofin. Auranofin, which is known to elevate intracellular ROS, displays antiviral activity against several viruses. We r

SUBMITTER: Tiller K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12817905 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature