Punicalagin inhibits Getah virus replication by directly blocking viral attachment and internalization

Mechanistic studies revealed that PUN blocks the viral attachment and internalization stages to exert its antiviral action. In addition, we found that PUN significantly inhibited the replication of other enveloped viruses, including porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), but showed no activity against the non-enveloped virus Senecavirus A (SVA). Furthermore, in suckling mice challenged with the highly virulent HeN01 strain, PUN treatment significantly increased the survival rate to 66.7% (4/6), ameliorated growth and development indicators, and effectively reduced the viral load in major target organs.

These findings not only provide a solid theoretical basis for the future clinical translation of PUN but also hold great promise in bridging the gap in specific GETV therapeutics.