Title:Abscisic Acid, a Plant Hormone, Could be a Promising Candidate as an Anti-Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) Agent
Volume: 18
Issue: 4
Author(s): Sai Priyanka Bhimaneni and Anoop Kumar*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Raebareli, Lucknow (U.P.),India
Keywords:
Japanese encephalitis virus, plant hormone, abscisic acid, mechanistic pathways, flavivirus, PPAR gamma.
Abstract: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an arthropod-borne flavivirus that belongs to the Flaviviridae
family affecting millions of people worldwide. There is no specific drug approved for the
treatment of this infection and also available vaccines are not effective against all the clinical isolates.
Thus, the exploration of novel mechanistic pathways of existing molecules may help to develop more
effective anti-JEV agents. Abscisic acid is a naturally occurring phytohormone released particularly
in stress conditions, which controls leaf abscission. Recent studies have shown that the abscisic acid
has the potential to inhibit the virus by inhibiting protein disulfide isomerase enzyme, which is important
for the formation of viral proteins. Apart from this, abscisic acid could also reduce the neuroinflammation
(a major hallmark of JEV infection) through the stimulation of PPAR gamma. Thus,
abscisic acid thereof could have the potential to develop as an anti-JEV agent.
