Drug Repurposing of Verapamil for H1N1 Influenza Virus Infection: A Multi-Target Strategy Revealed by Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

TL;DR

This study explores repurposing verapamil, a heart drug, to treat H1N1 influenza by targeting calcium channels and reducing inflammation.

Contribution

The novel contribution is demonstrating verapamil's antiviral and immunomodulatory effects against H1N1 through multi-target mechanisms.

Findings

Verapamil reduced viral load and lung damage in a mouse model of H1N1 infection.

The drug suppressed NF-κB signaling and inflammatory cytokine expression.

Pre-treatment with verapamil was most effective, indicating early-stage antiviral action.

Abstract

Influenza A virus (IAV) infection constitutes a major public health threat. Severe influenza virus infection can induce intense inflammatory responses and lung injury, leading to serious clinical symptoms or even death. The utility of current anti-influenza drugs is often limited by side effects and the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Based on the critical role of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (L-VGCCs) in influenza virus replication, this study investigates the antiviral activity and mechanism of verapamil, a classic L-type calcium channel antagonist, against H1N1-UI182 virus. Verapamil, an L-type calcium channel blocker, is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and has a well-established safety profile. Through molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and network pharmacology analysis, we predicted the stable binding mode of verapamil to the target protein (PDB id: 6JPA) and its potential multi-target network. In vitro, verapamil exhibited antiviral activity against H1N1-UI182 in MDCK cells, enhancing the survival rate of infected cells and reducing viral nucleoprotein (NP) expression. In a lethal H1N1-UI182 infection mouse model, verapamil treatment markedly improved survival rates, alleviated weight loss and lung pathological damage, exhibiting a dose-dependent protective effect. Lung tissue analysis showed that verapamil effectively reduced the lung index and viral load, suppressed the activation of the Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, and decreased the expression of key inflammatory factors, thereby mitigating the cytokine storm. A comparison of administration regimens indicated that pre-treatment yielded optimal efficacy, suggesting verapamil acts primarily during the early stage of the viral life cycle. This study systematically elucidates that verapamil exerts antiviral and immunomodulatory effects by regulating the NF-κB pathway. Network pharmacology analysis suggested the potential involvement of multiple targets and pathways, including EGFR, SRC, and phospholipase D signaling, providing hypotheses for future mechanistic investigation. This paper supports a drug repurposing strategy against drug-resistant influenza viruses and highlights its significant potential for clinical translation.

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