Inhibitory Effect of Muscone on Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus In Vitro

Abstract

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a major pathogen affecting the global swine industry, causing severe diarrhea, dehydration, and high mortality in neonatal piglets. Due to the continuous emergence of viral variants, the protective efficacy of currently available vaccines remains suboptimal, highlighting the urgent need for effective antiviral agents. In this study, we investigated the anti-PEDV activity of muscone in vitro. Our results demonstrated that muscone inhibits PEDV replication in a dose-dependent manner and exerts its antiviral effect primarily during the early stages of viral infection. Further mechanistic studies revealed that muscone acts mainly by interfering with viral entry into host cells. Specifically, Western blot analysis and confocal microscopy showed that muscone treatment led to the degradation of caveolin-1, suggesting that muscone may block PEDV entry by disrupting caveolin-mediated endocytosis. Collectively, our findings provide clear evidence that muscone possesses potent anti-PEDV activity in vitro and offer mechanistic insights into its mode of action, thereby establishing muscone as a promising lead compound for the development of novel antiviral strategies against PEDV.