palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol

Palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG) is a naturally occurring minor anionic phospholipid component of pulmonary surfactant. It plays a critical role in the lung's innate immune defense and is being developed as an inhaled therapeutic for various respiratory viral infections and inflammatory lung diseases. POPG exhibits broad-spectrum antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities. It acts by directly binding to respiratory viruses—including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A virus (IAV), human rhinovirus (HRV), and SARS-CoV-2—thereby blocking viral attachment to host epithelial cells and preventing infection. Additionally, POPG suppresses inflammatory signaling pathways by binding to CD14 and MD-2 (LY96), which prevents the activation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) by their respective ligands, and also antagonizes TLR3-mediated endosomal signaling. Developed primarily by researchers at National Jewish Health, POPG is being investigated to prevent or treat viral-induced asthma exacerbations, acute lung injury, and other severe respiratory conditions.

Other names

1,2-POPG1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol)1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol16:0-18:1 PGPG(16:0/18:1(9Z))POPG