The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has induced a large number of deaths worldwide. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the entry receptor for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to infect the host cells. Therefore, ACE2 may be an important target for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibition effect of valaciclovir hydrochloride (VACV), zidovudine (ZDV), saquinavir (SQV), and efavirenz (EFV) on 2019-nCoV infection. The results of molecule docking and surface plasmon resonance showed that VACV, ZDV, SQV, and EFV could bind to ACE2 protein, with the K_{D} value of (4.33 ± 0.09) e^{-8} , (6.29 ± 1.12) e^{-6} , (2.37 ± 0.59) e^{-5} , and (4.85 ± 1.57) e^{-5} M, respectively. But only ZDV and EFV prevent the 2019-nCoV spike pseudotyped virus to enter ACE2-HEK293T cells with an EC_{50} value of 4.30 ± 1.46 and 3.92 ± 1.36 μM, respectively. ZDV and EFV also have a synergistic effect on preventing entry of virus into cells. In conclusion, ZDV and EFV suppress 2019-nCoV infection of ACE2-HEK293T cells by interacting with ACE2.
【저자키워드】 ACE2, 2019-nCoV, efavirenz, zidovudine,