Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41680122›Full record

ArticleSignal transduction and targeted therapy2026

Targeting coronaviral inflammation: aptamer-based strategies for emerging threats.

Yongyun Zhao, Gang Yang, Zhaoyong Zhang, Mingfeng Xie, Junnan Liu, Yiran Cheng, Yabin Zhang, Xinyu Zhang, Yuchun Wang, Duhan Ma and 8 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Signal transduction and targeted therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

18 authors.

Yongyun Zhao *Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Gang Yang *Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Zhaoyong Zhang *Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.
Mingfeng Xie *Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Junnan LiuDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Yiran ChengDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Yabin ZhangDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Xinyu ZhangNational Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, College of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, PR China.
Yuchun WangNational Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, College of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, PR China.
Duhan MaDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Longteng TangDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Wei LiDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
Yanxin HuangNational Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, College of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, PR China.
Yongli BaoNational Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, College of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, PR China.
Jincun ZhaoKey Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2515-5589
Xu SongDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China. xusong@scu.edu.cn.
Fengming LuoDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China. fengmingluo@outlook.com.
Huajing WanDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital; Department Center for Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China. wanhuajing1974@wchscu.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 2021YFF0702000Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province (Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province of China) 20250101044JJNatural Science Foundation of Jilin Province (Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province of China) YDZJ202201ZYTS526
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Coronaviruses have repeatedly emerged in recent years, causing significant and ongoing threats to global public health. The development of therapeutic agents and strategies capable of responding to future outbreaks caused by emerging coronavirus variants remain an ongoing priority. Here, we engineered a single-stranded DNA aptamer (NApt8-3) that selectively binds to the conserved nucleocapsid (N) protein shared among multiple coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 (wild-type, beta, omicron variant), SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-229E, and strongly inhibits N protein-induced inflammatory cytokine expression. Mechanistically, NApt8-3 effectively binds to the N protein and blocks its interaction with the NLRP3 inflammasome, a key mediator of coronavirus-induced inflammation. To enable intracellular delivery and evaluate its therapeutic potential, we developed a proof-of-concept anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent-circSASON, a circular trivalent aptamer-antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) chimera-combining NApt8-3, an antispike protein aptamer, and an ASO that silences the N gene. In vitro experiments demonstrated that circSASON effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and suppresses N protein-induced cytokine expression in host cells. The intranasal administration of circSASON significantly decreased the level of SARS-CoV-2 and alleviated SARS-CoV-2-induced pulmonary inflammation and inflammatory cytokine expression in mice. Therefore, our findings highlight NApt8-3 as a broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory agent that targets the conserved coronavirus N protein. The therapeutic design strategy employed, together with the N aptamer developed in this study, may offer a framework for the rapid development of treatments to combat future pandemics caused by emerging coronavirus variants.

Indexed as

Aptamers, NucleotidePhosphoproteinsAnimalsCoronavirus Nucleocapsid ProteinsCOVID-19CytokinesHumansInflammationMiceNucleocapsid ProteinsSARS-CoV-2Aptamers, NucleotideCoronavirus Nucleocapsid ProteinsCytokinesNucleocapsid ProteinsPhosphoproteins

Identifiers

PMID41680122
PMCPMC12901053

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.