Berberine Hampers Influenza A Replication through Inhibition of MAPK/ERK Pathway.

Our results show cell-type-dependent anti-influenza properties of BBR in vitro which suggests that the compound acts on the cell and not the virus. Importantly, BBR hampers influenza replication in primary human airway epithelium 3D cultures that mimic the natural replication site of the virus. Studies show that the influenza A virus upregulates the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-related kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway and hijacks this pathway for nucleolar export of the viral ribonucleoprotein. Our results suggest that BBR interferes with this process and hampers influenza A replication.