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Lectin from <i>Triticum vulgaris</i> (WGA) Inhibits Infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Its Variants of Concern Alpha and Beta
oleh: Janina Auth, Maria Fröba, Maximilian Große, Pia Rauch, Natalia Ruetalo, Michael Schindler, Martina Morokutti-Kurz, Philipp Graf, Andrea Dolischka, Eva Prieschl-Grassauer, Christian Setz, Ulrich Schubert
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2021-09-01 |
Deskripsi
Even in the face of global vaccination campaigns, there is still an urgent need for effective antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 and its rapidly spreading variants. Several natural compounds show potential as antiviral substances and have the advantages of broad availabilities and large therapeutic windows. Here, we report that lectin from <i>Triticum vulgaris</i> (Wheat Germ Agglutinin) displays antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and its major Variants of Concern (VoC), Alpha and Beta. In Vero B4 cells, WGA potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection with an IC<sub>50</sub> of <10 ng/mL. WGA is effective upon preincubation with the virus or when added during infection. Pull-down assays demonstrate direct binding of WGA to SARS-CoV-2, further strengthening the hypothesis that inhibition of viral entry by neutralizing free virions might be the mode of action behind its antiviral effect. Furthermore, WGA exhibits antiviral activity against human coronavirus OC43, but not against other non-coronaviruses causing respiratory tract infections. Finally, WGA inhibits infection of the lung cell line Calu-3 with wild type and VoC viruses with comparable IC<sub>50</sub> values. Altogether, our data indicate that topical administration of WGA might be effective for prophylaxis or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections.