Lauric Acid and Glycerol Monolaurate Inhibit the Activity of Cyprinid Herpesvirus 2 and Enhance Host Immune Reaction

Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) is a major pathogen causing high mortality in farmed goldfish and crucian carp, for which effective prophylactic or therapeutic treatments are currently limited. Lauric acid (LA) and glycerol monolaurate (GML), representative of a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) and its corresponding monoglyceride, respectively, have been reported to possess antiviral and immunomodulatory properties. This study systematically evaluated the anti-CyHV-2 effects of LA and GML through in vitro assays, transcriptomic profiling, and in vivo experiments. In vitro, both LA and GML significantly reduced viral copy numbers in gibel carp caudal fin (GiCF) cells, attenuated virus-induced cytopathic effects (CPE), and suppressed intracellular viral replication. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that LA and GML induced widespread alterations in host signalling pathways, with significant enrichment of pathways related to steroid biosynthesis, ECM-receptor interaction, protein digestion and absorption, and cell survival-associated signalling. Quantitative PCR analysis further demonstrated that the expression levels of insr, akt2, pdk1, lamtor3, and hsp90b were significantly upregulated, whereas inpp4b expression was downregulated. These results further validate that host cell metabolic processes, stress responses, and signal transduction pathways are substantially modulated following LA and GML treatment. The in vivo protective efficacy of GML was further assessed. In goldfish infected with CyHV-2, GML administration significantly increased survival rate and mitigated histopathological damage in the gills, liver, spleen, and kidney. At 3 days post-infection (dpi), expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines il-1β, il-6, and tnf-α were significantly lower in the GML-treated group compared to the virus-infected control group, whereas the anti-inflammatory cytokine il-10 was significantly upregulated. By 7 dpi, differences in inflammatory cytokine expression between groups had diminished, suggesting that GML not only exerts direct antiviral activity but may also modulate host immune responses during the early stage of infection. Collectively, these findings provide a theoretical basis for the practical application of LA and GML and propose a novel strategy for developing safe, effective, and environmentally friendly anti-CyHV-2 agents.