<i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant Model

Infection with the rabies virus (RABV) results in a 100% lethal neurological disease once symptoms develop. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) consists of a combination of vaccination and anti-rabies immunoglobulins (RIGs); it is 100% effective if administered early after exposure. Because of its limit...

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Main Authors: Xinyu Wang, Lisanne Terrie, Guanghui Wu, Els J. M. Van Damme, Lieven Thorrez, Anthony R. Fooks, Ashley C. Banyard, Dirk Jochmans, Johan Neyts
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-04-01
Series:Pharmaceutics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/5/1353
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author Xinyu Wang
Lisanne Terrie
Guanghui Wu
Els J. M. Van Damme
Lieven Thorrez
Anthony R. Fooks
Ashley C. Banyard
Dirk Jochmans
Johan Neyts
author_facet Xinyu Wang
Lisanne Terrie
Guanghui Wu
Els J. M. Van Damme
Lieven Thorrez
Anthony R. Fooks
Ashley C. Banyard
Dirk Jochmans
Johan Neyts
author_sort Xinyu Wang
collection DOAJ
description Infection with the rabies virus (RABV) results in a 100% lethal neurological disease once symptoms develop. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) consists of a combination of vaccination and anti-rabies immunoglobulins (RIGs); it is 100% effective if administered early after exposure. Because of its limited availability, alternatives for RIGs are needed. To that end, we evaluated a panel of 33 different lectins for their effect on RABV infection in cell culture. Several lectins, with either mannose or GlcNAc specificity, elicited anti-RABV activity, of which the GlcNAc-specific <i>Urtica dioica</i> agglutinin (UDA) was selected for further studies. UDA was found to prevent the entry of the virus into the host cell. To further assess the potential of UDA, a physiologically relevant RABV infection muscle explant model was developed. Strips of dissected swine skeletal muscle that were kept in a culture medium could be productively infected with the RABV. When the infection of the muscle strips was carried out in the presence of UDA, RABV replication was completely prevented. Thus, we developed a physiologically relevant RABV muscle infection model. UDA (i) may serve as a reference for further studies and (ii) holds promise as a cheap and simple-to-produce alternative for RIGs in PEP.
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spelling doaj.art-d834598d5687496d99017d5dbc7d099f2023-11-18T02:50:22ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232023-04-01155135310.3390/pharmaceutics15051353<i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant ModelXinyu Wang0Lisanne Terrie1Guanghui Wu2Els J. M. Van Damme3Lieven Thorrez4Anthony R. Fooks5Ashley C. Banyard6Dirk Jochmans7Johan Neyts8Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumTissue Engineering Lab, Department of Development and Regeneration, Campus Kulak, KU Leuven, 8500 Kortrijk, BelgiumAnimal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, Weybridge KT15 3NB, UKDepartment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, BelgiumTissue Engineering Lab, Department of Development and Regeneration, Campus Kulak, KU Leuven, 8500 Kortrijk, BelgiumAnimal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, Weybridge KT15 3NB, UKAnimal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, Weybridge KT15 3NB, UKDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumInfection with the rabies virus (RABV) results in a 100% lethal neurological disease once symptoms develop. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) consists of a combination of vaccination and anti-rabies immunoglobulins (RIGs); it is 100% effective if administered early after exposure. Because of its limited availability, alternatives for RIGs are needed. To that end, we evaluated a panel of 33 different lectins for their effect on RABV infection in cell culture. Several lectins, with either mannose or GlcNAc specificity, elicited anti-RABV activity, of which the GlcNAc-specific <i>Urtica dioica</i> agglutinin (UDA) was selected for further studies. UDA was found to prevent the entry of the virus into the host cell. To further assess the potential of UDA, a physiologically relevant RABV infection muscle explant model was developed. Strips of dissected swine skeletal muscle that were kept in a culture medium could be productively infected with the RABV. When the infection of the muscle strips was carried out in the presence of UDA, RABV replication was completely prevented. Thus, we developed a physiologically relevant RABV muscle infection model. UDA (i) may serve as a reference for further studies and (ii) holds promise as a cheap and simple-to-produce alternative for RIGs in PEP.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/5/1353antiviralrabies viruslectinmuscle explant
spellingShingle Xinyu Wang
Lisanne Terrie
Guanghui Wu
Els J. M. Van Damme
Lieven Thorrez
Anthony R. Fooks
Ashley C. Banyard
Dirk Jochmans
Johan Neyts
<i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant Model
Pharmaceutics
antiviral
rabies virus
lectin
muscle explant
title <i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant Model
title_full <i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant Model
title_fullStr <i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant Model
title_full_unstemmed <i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant Model
title_short <i>Urtica dioica</i> Agglutinin Prevents Rabies Virus Infection in a Muscle Explant Model
title_sort i urtica dioica i agglutinin prevents rabies virus infection in a muscle explant model
topic antiviral
rabies virus
lectin
muscle explant
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/5/1353
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