Rhynchophylline attenuates porcine pseudorabies virus-induced astrocyte injury by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic abnormalities

Porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV) causes astrocyte injury through oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and metabolic dysfunction. Rhynchophylline (RHY) possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but its protective effects against PRV infection remain unclear. Using PRV-infected C8-D1A cells, we evaluated the antiviral and cytoprotective effects of RHY. At a non-toxic concentration of 5 μM, RHY significantly inhibited PRV replication, reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species, and alleviated oxidative stress by decreasing xanthine oxidase (XOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO) levels while restoring superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. RHY also modulated PRV-induced inflammatory imbalance by suppressing interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 and enhancing IL-4 and IL-10 expression. Metabolomic profiling revealed that PRV infection disrupted cellular metabolism, particularly pathways related to unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which were largely restored by RHY treatment. These findings indicate that RHY exerts antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects by correcting PRV-induced metabolic disturbances in vitro .