The increasing prevalence and pandemic risk of viral diseases warrant the development of safe and effective treatments. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the structure and anti-enterovirus 71 (EV71) effects of polysaccharides isolated from the roots of Sanguisorba officinalis (SO), traditionally used for infectious diseases. The purified polysaccharide (S-a3) was a homogenous macromolecule (260.4 kDa) with a concave and porous surface. Linkage and NMR analyses confirmed that S-a3 is a polysaccharide interlinked with homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan-I, 1,4-α-glucan, and arabinogalactan. S-a3 significantly inhibited cell death and viral gene expression in EV71-infected Vero cells, and alleviated EV71-induced body weight loss, death, and paralysis in the hSCARB2-transgenic mouse model. The effective dose of S-a3 was non-toxic to cells and mice. The antiviral mechanism of S-a3 was associated with the disruption of EV71 attachment to host cells. Our findings demonstrate that polysaccharides from SO can be a safe and effective treatment for EV71 infection.
Confocal imaging was performed at the Central Laboratory of the Kangwon National University. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) ( 2020R1A2B5B02001552 ; 2021R1A2C2013628 ).Confocal imaging was performed at the Central Laboratory of the Kangwon National University. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (2020R1A2B5B02001552; 2021R1A2C2013628).
