Advances in the development of antivirals for rotavirus infection

Front Immunol. 2023 Mar 17:14:1041149. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1041149. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Rotavirus (RV) causes 200,000 deaths per year and imposes a serious burden to public health and livestock farming worldwide. Currently, rehydration (oral and intravenous) remains the main strategy for the treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE), and no specific drugs are available. This review discusses the viral replication cycle in detail and outlines possible therapeutic approaches including immunotherapy, probiotic-assisted therapy, anti-enteric secretory drugs, Chinese medicine, and natural compounds. We present the latest advances in the field of rotavirus antivirals and highlights the potential use of Chinese medicine and natural compounds as therapeutic agents. This review provides an important reference for rotavirus prevention and treatment.

Keywords: Chinese medicine; diarrhoea; immunotherapy; natural compounds; rotavirus; viral replication cycle.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Gastroenteritis* / drug therapy
  • Gastroenteritis* / prevention & control
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Rotavirus Infections* / drug therapy
  • Rotavirus Infections* / prevention & control
  • Rotavirus*

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents

Grants and funding

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82202492, 82151224), National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2020YFA0712102, 20SWAQK22 and BWS21J025), Key Project of Beijing University of Chemical Technology (Grant No. XK1803-06, XK2020-02), Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities (Grant No. BUCTZY2022), and H&H Global Research and Technology Center (Grant No. H2021028).