Antiviral activity of Taurisolo® during bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 infection

Claudia Cerracchio; Maria Grazia Amoroso; Marialuisa Piccolo; Maria Grazia Ferraro; Francesca Paola Nocera; Luisa De Martino; Francesco Serra; Carlo Irace; Gian Carlo Tenore; Ettore Novellino; Rita Santamaria; Filomena Fiorito

doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199217

Antiviral activity of Taurisolo® during bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 infection

Virus Res. 2023 Oct 15:336:199217. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199217. Epub 2023 Sep 11.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy.
² Istituto Zooprofilattico del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy.
³ Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy. Electronic address: carlo.irace@unina.it.
⁵ Department of Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy.
⁶ Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy. Electronic address: filomena.fiorito@unina.it.

Abstract

Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoAHV-1), the pathogen causing Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and predisposing to polymicrobial infections in cattle, provokes farm economic losses and trading restrictions in the world. However, nontoxic antiviral agents for BoAHV-1 infection are still unavailable, but plant extracts, such as flavonoid derivatives possess activity against BoAHV-1. Taurisolo®, a nutraceutical produced by Aglianico grape pomace, has recently shown promising antiviral activity. Herein, the potential activity of Taurisolo® during BoAHV-1 infection in Madin Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells was tested. Taurisolo® enhanced cell viability and reduced morphological death signs in BoAHV-1-infected cells. Moreover, Taurisolo® influenced the expression of bICP0, the key regulatory protein of BoAHV-1, and it strongly diminished virus yield. These effects were associated with an up-regulation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a transcription factor involved in microbial metabolism and immune response. In conclusion, our findings indicate that Taurisolo® may represent a potential antiviral agent against BoAHV-1 infection. Noteworthy, AhR could be involved in the observed effects and become a new target in antiviral therapy.

Keywords: AhR; BoAHV-1; MDBK; Taurisolo®; bICP0.