Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team May 07, 2026 1 hour, 5 minutes ago
Medical News: Scientists in China had discovered in 2022 that a widely used class of blood pressure medications may help stop
hantavirus infections by blocking the virus from entering human cells. There are currently no approved antiviral treatments specifically designed for hantavirus diseases, which can be highly fatal in severe cases.
Scientists discover that common calcium channel blockers may prevent deadly hantaviruses from entering human cells
Researchers from the Airforce Medical University: Fourth Military Medical University in Xi’an, Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital, and collaborating institutions in China focused on a calcium channel blocker called benidipine hydrochloride. This drug is already commonly prescribed to treat hypertension and heart-related conditions.
Hantaviruses are dangerous viruses spread mainly through contact with infected rodents or their waste. They can trigger two severe illnesses known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Mortality rates can reach as high as 15 percent for HFRS and up to 45 percent for HPS in serious outbreaks.
Drug Stopped Virus Entry into Cells
The study found that benidipine hydrochloride strongly reduced hantavirus infection in several types of laboratory-grown cells. The drug worked by blocking the virus from entering cells during the earliest stages of infection.
Scientists tested the drug on kidney, lung, and liver cell lines that are normally vulnerable to hantavirus infection. They observed that viral levels dropped sharply after treatment with benidipine hydrochloride, while the cells themselves remained healthy and unharmed.
The researchers also found fewer virus-infected cells and significantly lower levels of viral proteins after treatment. This suggested the medication was not merely slowing the virus down but was actively interfering with its ability to establish infection.
According to the experiments, the drug appeared most effective during the viral entry stage, when the virus attempts to attach to and penetrate human cells. Once the virus was blocked from entering, its ability to replicate dropped dramatically.
Calcium Appears Critical for Hantavirus Survival
Further testing revealed that calcium plays a major role in hantavirus infection. Benidipine belongs to a group of medicines called calcium channel blockers, which reduce the movement of calcium into cells.
The scientists discovered that when calcium levels inside cells were lowered, hantavirus replication also declined. Even using calcium-free environments or chemicals that remove calcium from cells produced similar antiviral effects.
This
Medical News report highlights
how the study points toward calcium regulation as a possible weak point in the hantavirus lifecycle. Researchers believe the virus may rely heavily on calcium-related pathways to successfully infect and spread within the body.
Interestingly, the team did not stop with benidipine alone. They also tested several other calcium channel blockers including amlodipine, felodipine, cilnidipine, manidipine, nicardipine, and nisoldipine. Many of these drugs also showed strong antiviral activity against hantavirus.
Broad Protection Against Multiple Hantaviruses
One of the most important findings was that benidipine hydrochloride appeared effective against multiple hantavirus strains, not just one specific type.
Using specially engineered pseudoviruses carrying hantavirus surface proteins, the researchers demonstrated that the drug could interfere with viruses responsible for both Asian and American forms of hantavirus disease. These included Hantaan virus, Seoul virus, Puumala virus, Dobrava virus, Sin Nombre virus, and Andes virus.
This broad-spectrum activity is particularly important because different hantaviruses circulate in different regions of the world. Some mainly affect the kidneys while others severely damage the lungs and cardiovascular system. The scientists believe host-targeting drugs like calcium channel blockers may also reduce the chance of viral resistance developing, since the medications target human cell processes rather than directly attacking the virus itself.
Hope For Faster Treatment Development
Because these medications are already approved and widely used for cardiovascular diseases, researchers say they could potentially move into clinical testing much faster than entirely new antiviral drugs.
The team cautioned that the current work was performed mainly in laboratory cell models and that animal and human studies are still needed before doctors can recommend these drugs for hantavirus infections.
Still, the findings offer a promising direction at a time when treatment options for hantavirus diseases remain extremely limited. The study also opens the door to exploring whether calcium channel blockers might work against other dangerous viral hemorrhagic fevers.
The researchers concluded that benidipine hydrochloride and related calcium channel blockers showed strong ability to interfere with hantavirus infection by reducing calcium influx and blocking viral entry into cells. They stressed that the results justify urgent in vivo studies and additional clinical investigations, especially since these drugs already possess established safety records in humans. If future studies confirm the benefits, these common blood pressure medications could eventually become an important new weapon against life-threatening hantavirus outbreaks.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.940178/full
For the latest on hantavirus, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/hantavirus-news
Medical Disclaimer: All content published by Thailand Medical News is based on scientific research and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Readers must not attempt to use, apply, or experiment with any protocols, compounds, or therapies mentioned without first consulting a qualified and licensed medical doctor. Many findings discussed are experimental or preliminary, and only a licensed healthcare professional can determine what is safe and appropriate for an individual’s specific medical condition.
Share
Tweet
Share
