Abstract
There are currently relatively few small-molecule antiviral drugs that are either approved or emergency-approved for use against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One of these is remdesivir, which was originally repurposed from its use against Ebola. We evaluated three molecules we had previously identified computationally with antiviral activity against Ebola and Marburg and identified pyronaridine, which inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 replication in A549-ACE2 cells. The in vivo efficacy of pyronaridine has now been assessed in a K18-hACE transgenic mouse model of COVID-19. Pyronaridine treatment demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of viral load in the lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected mice, reducing lung pathology, which was also associated with significant reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokine and cell infiltration. Pyronaridine inhibited the viral PL pro activity in vitro (IC 50 of 1.8 μM) without any effect on M pro , indicating a possible molecular mechanism involved in its ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication. We have also generated several pyronaridine analogs to assist in understanding the structure activity relationship for PL pro inhibition. Our results indicate that pyronaridine is a potential therapeutic candidate for COVID-19.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; antiviral; pyronaridine; spike protein.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Antiviral, spike protein., pyronaridine, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Treatment, Efficacy, coronavirus, Antiviral, antiviral drugs, Remdesivir, lung, in vitro, antiviral activity, molecular mechanism, chemokine, Spike protein, antiviral drug, Replication, Viral, Viral load, cells, mice, Lungs, therapeutic, pro-inflammatory cytokines, Ebola, respiratory, in vivo, SARS-CoV-2 replication, Lung pathology, pyronaridine, infiltration, structure activity relationship, severe acute respiratory coronavirus, M pro, pro-inflammatory, Cell, Transgenic mouse, Respiratory Coronavirus, statistically significant reduction, involved, evaluated, inhibited, approved, reducing, demonstrated, reduction in, assist, inhibit SARS-CoV-2, K18-hACE, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 mouse, pyronaridine,