In Vitro Antiviral Activity of Hyperbranched Poly-<span style="font-variant: small-caps">L</span>-Lysine Modified by <span style="font-variant: small-caps">L</span>-Arginine against Different SARS-CoV-2 Variants

oleh: Federico Fiori, Franca Lucia Cossu, Federica Salis, Davide Carboni, Luigi Stagi, Davide De Forni, Barbara Poddesu, Luca Malfatti, Abbas Khalel, Andrea Salis, Maria Francesca Casula, Roberto Anedda, Franco Lori, Plinio Innocenzi

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-12-01

Deskripsi

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants requires close monitoring to prevent the reoccurrence of a new pandemic in the near future. The Omicron variant, in particular, is one of the fastest-spreading viruses, showing a high ability to infect people and evade neutralization by antibodies elicited upon infection or vaccination. Therefore, the search for broad-spectrum antivirals that can inhibit the infectious capacity of SARS-CoV-2 is still the focus of intense research. In the present work, hyperbranched poly-<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">L</span>-lysine nanopolymers, which have shown an excellent ability to block the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 infection, were modified with <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">L</span>-arginine. A thermal reaction at 240 °C catalyzed by boric acid yielded Lys-Arg hyperbranched nanopolymers. The ability of these nanopolymers to inhibit viral replication were assessed for the original, Delta, and Omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2 together with their cytotoxicity. A reliable indication of the safety profile and effectiveness of the various polymeric compositions in inhibiting or suppressing viral infection was obtained by the evaluation of the therapeutic index in an in vitro prevention model. The hyperbranched <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">L</span>-arginine-modified nanopolymers exhibited a twelve-fold greater therapeutic index when tested with the original strain. The nanopolymers could also effectively limit the replication of the Omicron strain in a cell culture.