In silico analysis suggests the RNAi-enhancing antibiotic enoxacin as a potential inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Sci Rep
; 11(1): 10271, 2021 05 13.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1228271
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has currently become the biggest challenge in the world. There is still no specific medicine for COVID-19, which leaves a critical gap for the identification of new drug candidates for the disease. Recent studies have reported that the small-molecule enoxacin exerts an antiviral activity by enhancing the RNAi pathway. The aim of this study is to analyze if enoxacin can exert anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects. We exploit multiple computational tools and databases to examine (i) whether the RNAi mechanism, as the target pathway of enoxacin, could act on the SARS-CoV-2 genome, and (ii) microRNAs induced by enoxacin might directly silence viral components as well as the host cell proteins mediating the viral entry and replication. We find that the RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2 might be a suitable substrate for DICER activity. We also highlight several enoxacin-enhanced microRNAs which could target SARS-CoV-2 components, pro-inflammatory cytokines, host cell components facilitating viral replication, and transcription factors enriched in lung stem cells, thereby promoting their differentiation and lung regeneration. Finally, our analyses identify several enoxacin-targeted regulatory modules that were critically associated with exacerbation of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, our analysis suggests that enoxacin could be a promising candidate for COVID-19 treatment through enhancing the RNAi pathway.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Enoxacin
/
RNA Interference
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
/
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Sci Rep
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S41598-021-89605-6
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