As influenza circumstances surge this yr—reaching their highest ranges up to now decade—researchers on the Division of Life Sciences at Ulsan Nationwide Institute of Science and Expertise (UNIST) have recognized how Korean Crimson Ginseng suppresses influenza A virus an infection on the molecular degree.
Whereas the immune-modulating and antiviral results of crimson ginseng have been reported in earlier research, this analysis is among the many first to make clear the precise molecular mechanism by which crimson ginseng inhibits influenza A virus, together with variant strains.
The analysis crew, led by Professor Sang-Joon Lee, discovered that consumption of crimson ginseng strengthens a ZBP1-related antiviral immune pathway throughout influenza A an infection. This enhancement promotes the elimination of contaminated cells whereas decreasing the expression of viral proteins.
ZBP1 is a key immune sensor that acknowledges virus-infected irregular cells and triggers immune responses, although its function varies relying on the kind of virus. In earlier work, Professor Lee’s crew demonstrated that ZBP1 performs a central function in controlling influenza A an infection by activating programmed loss of life pathways in contaminated cells. Within the present research, the researchers investigated how crimson ginseng influences this pathway utilizing each cell-based experiments and animal fashions.
In laboratory experiments, macrophages derived from mouse bone marrow had been contaminated with influenza A virus and handled with crimson ginseng. In comparison with untreated cells, crimson ginseng–handled cells confirmed elevated loss of life of contaminated cells and a marked discount in viral protein expression. Notably, these results had been noticed solely in cells with useful ZBP1, confirming that the antiviral exercise of crimson ginseng operates by means of a ZBP1-dependent pathway.
To validate these findings in vivo, the crew administered crimson ginseng to regular mice and ZBP1-deficient mice for seven days earlier than infecting them with influenza A virus. In regular mice, crimson ginseng consumption considerably diminished lung tissue injury and irritation and led to a transparent enchancment in survival in contrast with virus-only controls. In distinction, these protecting results weren’t noticed in ZBP1-deficient mice, additional demonstrating that crimson ginseng promotes the elimination of contaminated cells by means of a ZBP1-based cell loss of life mechanism.
“By means of this research, we recognized how crimson ginseng enhances the ZBP1-related pathway that removes influenza A–contaminated cells,” mentioned Professor Lee. “Crimson ginseng selectively prompts a ZBP1-dependent antiviral response, serving to suppress viral replication whereas avoiding extreme immune reactions.”
He added, “As a result of totally different viruses depend on totally different immune pathways, we plan to increase this analysis to discover how crimson ginseng exerts antiviral results throughout a wider vary of viral an infection fashions.”
This analysis was supported by the Nationwide Analysis Basis of Korea (NRF), the Korea Well being Business Growth Institute (KHIDI), the Nationwide Institute of Well being below the Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company, the Institute for Fundamental Science (IBS), and the Korean Society of Ginseng. The research was revealed in 2025 within the SCIE-listed worldwide journal Journal of Microbiology.
