Pudilan xiaoyan oral liquid (PDL) inhibit the replication of influenza A virus through regulating TLR3/MyD88 signaling pathway

Abstract Background Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid (PDL) as a famous Chinese patent medicine has been widely used for treating upper respiratory tract infection. However, the antiviral effect of PDL remain unclear. Here, the antiviral effect of in vitro and in vivo of PDL against influenza A virus were for the first time investigated. Methods The in vitro inhibitory effect of PDL on influenza A virus was investigated using MDCK cell model. The in vivo inhibitory effect on influenza virus pneumonia was evaluated with the ICR female mice (14-16 g) model infected by influenza A virus (A/FM/1/47, H1N1, mouse-adapted). Moreover, expression levels of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IP10, IL-10, IL-1β, IL-6 and IFN-γ in lung tissue were measured by qRT-PCR. The potential mechanism of PDL against acute lung injury caused by influenza A virus was investigated by RT-PCR and Western blot. Results Our results indicated that in vitro PDL has a broad-spectrum inhibitory effect on different subtypes of influenza A viruses and in vivo PDL could dose-dependently prevent weight loss of mice, increase food intake and reduce mortality caused by influenza A H1N1 virus. Furthermore, PDL could markedly improve the acute lung injury caused by influenza A virus and significantly reduce the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IP10, IL-10, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ. Mechanistic research indicated that the protective effect of PDL on viral pneumonia might be achieved by inhibiting TLR3/MyD88/IRAK4/TRAF3 signaling pathway. Conclusion PDL not only showed a good inhibitory effect on influenza A virus in vitro, but also exhibited a significant protective effect against lethal influenza virus infection in vivo. These findings provide evidence for the clinical treatment of influenza A virus infection with PDL.