Curcumin inhibits the attachment of African swine fever virus to cells by reducing cell membrane fluidity

African swine fever virus (ASFV), a highly contagious and lethal pathogen that poses a severe threat to the global swine industry, particularly in the absence of safe and effective vaccines. While curcumin, a natural polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa , exhibits diverse pharmacological effects, including but not limited to antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-hepatic fibrosis activities. However, the mechanism by which curcumin inhibits ASFV replication has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that curcumin significantly suppresses ASFV replication in vitro in both a dose and time-dependent manners. Mechanistic investigations revealed that curcumin treatment reduces the fluidity of the host cellular membranes. This biophysical alteration impairs ASFV attachment to host cells, thereby inhibiting subsequent viral replication. These findings indicate that curcumin may serve as ASFV inhibitor and indicate that modulation of membrane fluidity represents a promising therapeutic mechanism for the development of novel anti-ASFV interventions.