Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects the liver and uses its cell host for gene expression and propagation. Therefore, targeting host factors essential for HBV gene expression is a potential anti-viral strategy. Here we show that treating HBV expressing cells with the natural phenolic compound curcumin inhibits HBV gene expression and replication. This inhibition is mediated via down-regulation of PGC-1α, a starvation-induced protein that initiates the gluconeogenesis cascade and that has been shown to robustly coactivate HBV transcription. We suggest curcumin as a host targeted therapy for HBV infection that may complement current virus-specific therapies.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2485-2490 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | FEBS Letters |
Volume | 584 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Anti-viral therapy
- Hepatitis B virus
- Metabolovirus
- Nutrition