Berberine, a Natural Compound That Demonstrates Antiviral Effects Against Ostreid Herpesvirus 1 Infection in <i>Anadara broughtonii</i>
Hui-Gang Kang,
Mao-Le Wei,
Jing-Li Wang,
Cui-Ping Ma,
Xiang Zhang,
Bo-Wen Huang,
Lu-Sheng Xin,
Chang-Ming Bai
Affiliations
Hui-Gang Kang
Qingdao Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection, College of Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
Mao-Le Wei
Qingdao Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection, College of Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
Jing-Li Wang
Qingdao Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection, College of Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
Cui-Ping Ma
Qingdao Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Rapid Detection, College of Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
Xiang Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Key Laboratory of Maricultural Organism Disease Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Bo-Wen Huang
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Key Laboratory of Maricultural Organism Disease Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Lu-Sheng Xin
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Key Laboratory of Maricultural Organism Disease Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Chang-Ming Bai
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Key Laboratory of Maricultural Organism Disease Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) infection is the primary viral disease responsible for large-scale mortality in bivalve mollusks worldwide, and effective strategies to control the outbreaks of this disease are still lacking. Berberine (BBR), a plant-derived alkaloid, has demonstrated antiviral activity against various vertebrate viruses, while its potential antiviral effects on molluscan herpesviruses remain to be fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the potential of berberine hydrochloride (BBH) against OsHV-1 infection in blood clams (Anadara broughtonii). The most optimal BBH concentration was figured out according to virus replication and mortality rates during in vivo experimental infection. Quantitative PCR and reverse transcription quantitative PCR were utilized to monitor the OsHV-1 genomic copy numbers and viral gene transcription levels during the development of OsHV-1 infection in the BBH-treated and control groups. The results demonstrated that a 3 mg/L BBH bath immersion significantly suppressed OsHV-1 replication in blood clams. During the early stage of infection (24 h), BBH treatment significantly reduced the expression of OsHV-1 open reading frames (ORFs) related to early enzymes, putative membrane proteins, and nucleocapsid proteins. At 96 h post-infection, all untreated blood clams died, whereas the survival rate of BBH-treated individuals increased to 46.67%. This study provides preliminary evidence for the inhibitory effects of BBH on OsHV-1, paving the way for the development of pharmacological control technologies for OsHV-1 infections.
