ArticlePLoS pathogens2012
Niclosamide is a proton carrier and targets acidic endosomes with broad antiviral effects.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 144 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
144 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 244 citations in OpenAlex.
- Niclosamide as a Promising Therapeutic Player in Human Cancer and Other Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of niclosamide nanohybrid for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- Efficacy of Niclosamide vs Placebo in SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Viral Clearance, Viral Shedding, and Duration of Symptoms Among Patients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2022Trial
- An efficient and versatile reverse genetics system for bovine coronavirus facilitates antiviral evaluation.Veterinary research · 2026Article
- Repurposing niclosamide to mitigate inflammaging: a review of multi-target mechanisms in cellular senescence and age-related decline.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026Review
- Advances in Antiviral Drug Development Targeting Enteroviruses: From Viral Proteins to Host Factors.Viruses · 2026Review
- Broad-spectrum host-targeting antivirals for rhinovirus infections: mechanisms and future perspectives.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Strategic Preparedness of Broad-Spectrum Antivirals for Rapid Response Towards Next Pandemics.Small science · 2026Article
- Transforming Niclosamide through Nanotechnology: A Promising Approach for Long COVID Management.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2025Review
- Successive paired electrochemical late-stage modification of niclosamide a common anthelmintic drug. A green protocol for the synthesis of new drug-like molecules.RSC advances · 2025Article
- Harnessing Nanohybridized Niclosamide for Precision Mpox Therapeutics.Advanced healthcare materials · 2025Review
- Overview of host-directed antiviral targets for future research and drug development.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2025Review
- Exploring antiviral strategies to combat African swine fever.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2025Review
- Synthetic niclosamide-loaded controlled-release nanospheres with high solubility and stability exerting multiple effects againstFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Dynamin independent endocytosis is an alternative cell entry mechanism for multiple animal viruses.PLoS pathogens · 2024Article
- Development of Targeted Drug Delivery System for the Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Using Aptamer-Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles.Pharmaceutics · 2024Article
- In vitro synergistic antiviral activity of repurposed drugs against enterovirus 71.Archives of virology · 2024Article
- Niclosamide potentiates TMEM16A and induces vasoconstriction.The Journal of general physiology · 2024Article
- Calmodulin-like 5 promotes PEDV replication by regulating late-endosome synthesis and innate immune response.Virologica Sinica · 2024Article
- Article
84 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Viruses use a limited set of host pathways for infection. These pathways represent bona fide antiviral targets with low likelihood of viral resistance. We identified the salicylanilide niclosamide as a broad range antiviral agent targeting acidified endosomes. Niclosamide is approved for human use against helminthic infections, and has anti-neoplastic and antiviral effects. Its mode of action is unknown. Here, we show that niclosamide, which is a weak lipophilic acid inhibited infection with pH-dependent human rhinoviruses (HRV) and influenza virus. Structure-activity studies showed that antiviral efficacy and endolysosomal pH neutralization co-tracked, and acidification of the extracellular medium bypassed the virus entry block. Niclosamide did not affect the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase, but neutralized coated vesicles or synthetic liposomes, indicating a proton carrier mode-of-action independent of any protein target. This report demonstrates that physico-chemical interference with host pathways has broad range antiviral effects, and provides a proof of concept for the development of host-directed antivirals.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.