Identification of bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloids as SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors from a library of natural products
Changlong He, Luyi Huang, Kai Wang, Chenjian Gu, Jie Hu, Guiji Zhang, Wei Xü, Youhua Xie, Ni Tang, Ailong Huang
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a major public health issue. The spike (S) protein mutation D614G became dominant in SARS-CoV-2 during a global pandemic, which displayed increased infectivity. 1 Entry of a virus into host cells is one of the most critical steps in the viral life cycle. Since blockade of the entry process is a promising therapeutic option for COVID-19, research attention has been focused on the discovery of viral entry inhibitors. Although SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitor development is very attractive, no candidates have progressed into clinical trials yet.