Natural triterpenoids from licorice potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection.
J Adv Res
; 36: 201-210, 2022 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1536631
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The COVID-19 global epidemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a great public health emergency. Discovering antiviral drug candidates is urgent for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.Objectives:
This work aims to discover natural SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine licorice.Methods:
We screened 125 small molecules from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (licorice, Gan-Cao) by virtual ligand screening targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Potential hit compounds were further evaluated by ELISA, SPR, luciferase assay, antiviral assay and pharmacokinetic study.Results:
The triterpenoids licorice-saponin A3 (A3) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) could potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, with EC50 of 75 nM and 3.17 µM, respectively. Moreover, we reveal that A3 mainly targets the nsp7 protein, and GA binds to the spike protein RBD of SARS-CoV-2.Conclusion:
In this work, we found GA and A3 from licorice potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection by affecting entry and replication of the virus. Our findings indicate that these triterpenoids may contribute to the clinical efficacy of licorice for COVID-19 and could be promising candidates for antiviral drug development.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Triterpenes
/
COVID-19
/
Glycyrrhiza
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Traditional medicine
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Adv Res
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.jare.2021.11.012
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