Fungal Secondary Metabolite Exophillic Acid Selectively Inhibits the Entry of Hepatitis B and D Viruses.

ABSTRACT: Current anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) drugs are suppressive but not curative for HBV infection, so there is considerable demand for the development of new anti-HBV agents. In this study, we found that fungus-derived exophillic acid inhibits HBV infection with a 50% maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 1.1 µM and a 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) of >30 µM in primary human hepatocytes. Exophillic acid inhibited preS1-mediated viral attachment to cells but did not affect intracellular HBV replication. Exophillic acid appears to target the host cells to reduce their susceptibility to viral attachment rather than acting on the viral particles. We found that exophillic acid interacted with the HBV receptor, sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP).

SUBMITTER: Kobayashi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9026752 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature