In vitro evaluation of the antiviral activity of methylglyoxal against influenza B virus infection

Influenza A and B virus infections are serious public health concerns globally. However, the concerns regarding influenza B infection have been underestimated. The currently used anti-influenza drugs have not provided equal efficacy for both influenza A and B viruses. Susceptibility to neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors has been observed to be lower for influenza B viruses than for influenza A viruses. Moreover, the emergence of resistance to anti-influenza drugs underscores the need to develop new drugs. Recently, we reported that methylglyoxal (MGO) suppressed influenza A virus replication in a strain-independent manner. Therefore, we hypothesize that MGO exhibits anti-influenza activity against B strains. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-influenza viral activity of MGO against influenza B strains by using Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Several types of influenza B viruses were used to determine the activity of MGO. The susceptibilities of influenza A and B viruses to NA inhibitors were compared. MGO inhibited influenza B virus replication, with 50% inhibitory concentrations ranging from 23-140 mu M, which indicated greater sensitivity of influenza B viruses than influenza A viruses. Our results show that MGO has potent inhibitory activity against influenza B viruses, including NA inhibitor-resistant strains.