Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40447137›Full record

ArticleVirologica Sinica2025

Eltrombopag, an FDA-approved drug, inhibits dengue virus type 2 by targeting NS2B-NS3 protease.

Xuerui Zhu, Xiao Gao, Yan Wu, Jia Lu, Xinlan Chen, Chenshu Zhao, Haoyu Li, Zhongfa Zhang, Shuwen Liu, Gengfu Xiao and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Virologica Sinica, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The oxidative stress paradigm in arbovirus infections: mechanisms and therapeutic insights.Redox report : communications in free radical research · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Antiviral agents for dengue virus.Virologica Sinica · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Xuerui ZhuState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China.
Xiao GaoState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.
Yan WuState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China.
Jia LuState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.
Xinlan ChenState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.
Chenshu ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China.
Haoyu LiState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.
Zhongfa ZhangState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China.
Shuwen LiuSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Gengfu XiaoState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.
Xiaoyan PanState Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430207, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China. Electronic address: panxy@wh.iov.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Dengue viruses (DENV) have spread throughout the world and pose a huge threat to human life. The most widespread serotype is type 2 DENV (DENV 2), which has no specific treatment. NS2B-NS3 protease plays a pivotal role in DENV replication because of its function in cleavage of the viral polyprotein; thus, it is considered a promising target for antiviral discovery. In this study, we developed a high-throughput screening system based on the NS2B-NS3 protease to identify candidates from an FDA-approved drug library. Eltrombopag was screened out of 3273 drugs, and demonstrated inhibition on DENV 2 ​at the micromolar level in vitro, significantly reducing viral loads in the targeted organs of challenged mice following intraperitoneal injection. Further mechanistic analysis showed that eltrombopag allosterically binds to the DENV 2 NS2B-NS3 protease in a reversible, non-competitive manner, therefore inhibiting DENV 2 ​at the post-infection stage. In addition, eltrombopag inhibited the NS2B-NS3 proteases of DENV 4 and Zika virus, suggesting its potential as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent. This study repurposed eltrombopag as a promising antiviral agent against DENV, providing an alternative for antiviral development against flaviviruses.

Indexed as

Antiviral AgentsBenzoatesDengue VirusHydrazinesProtease InhibitorsPyrazolesViral Nonstructural ProteinsAnimalsDengueHigh-Throughput Screening AssaysHumansMiceSerine EndopeptidasesViral LoadViral ProteasesVirus ReplicationAntiviral AgentsBenzoateseltrombopagHydrazinesNS2B protein, flavivirusNS3 protease, dengue virusProtease InhibitorsPyrazolesSerine EndopeptidasesViral Nonstructural ProteinsViral ProteasesAllosteric inhibitorAntiviral agentDengue virus type 2 (DENV 2)EltrombopagNS2B-NS3 protease

Identifiers

PMID40447137
PMCPMC12282411

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.