Sertraline Is an Effective SARS-CoV-2 Entry Inhibitor Targeting the Spike Protein
Yuliu Chen, Yan Wu, Shaoying Chen, Qingping Zhan, Dingzhou Wu, Chan Yang, Xiaoxue He, Mengjie Qiu, Nannan Zhang, Zhaofeng Li, Yunhua Guo, Minjun Wen, Lu Lu, Cuiqing Ma, Jiayin Guo, Wei Xü, Xiaojuan Li, Lin Li, Shibo Jiang, Xiaoyan Pan, Shuwen Liu, Suiyi Tan
Abstract
The study shows SRT is an effective entry inhibitor against infection of SARS-CoV-2, which is currently prevalent globally. SRT targets the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 and is effective against a panel of SARS-CoV-2 variants. It also could be used in combination to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. More importantly, with long history of clinical use and proven safety, SRT might be particularly suitable to treat infection of SARS-CoV-2 in the central nervous system and optimized for treatment in older people, pregnant women, and COVID-19 patients with heart complications, which are associated with severity and mortality of COVID-19.