The seafood Musculus senhousei shows anti-influenza A virus activity by targeting virion envelope lipids.

Abstract Marine environments are known to be a new source of structurally diverse bioactive molecules. In this paper, we identified a porphyrin derivative of Pyropheophorbide a (PPa) from the mussel Musculus senhousei (M. senhousei) that showed broad anti-influenza A virus activity in vitro against a panel of influenza A viral strains. The analysis of the mechanism of action indicated that PPa functions in the early stage of virus infection by interacting with the lipid bilayer of the virion, resulting in an alteration of membrane-associated functions, thereby blocking the entry of enveloped viruses into host cells. In addition, the anti-influenza A virus activity of PPa was further assessed in mice infected with the influenza A virus. The survival rate and mean survival time of mice were apparently prolonged compared with the control group which was not treated with the drug. Therefore, PPa and its derivatives may represent lead compounds for controlling influenza A virus infection.