FDA-approved drug repurposing screen identifies inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus entry

Background and purposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has devastated global health and the economy, underscoring the urgent need for extensive research into the mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral entry and the development of effective th...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Manisha Singh, Shruthi Shanmukha, Raghda E. Eldesouki, Maged M. Harraz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1537912/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background and purposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has devastated global health and the economy, underscoring the urgent need for extensive research into the mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral entry and the development of effective therapeutic interventions.Experimental approachWe established a cell line expressing human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). We used it as a model of pseudotyped viral entry using murine leukemia virus (MLV) expressing SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein on its surface and firefly luciferase as a reporter. We screened an U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved compound library for inhibiting ACE2-dependent SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped viral entry and identified several drug-repurposing candidates.Key resultsWe identified 18 drugs and drug candidates, including 14 previously reported inhibitors of viral entry and four novel candidates. Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, Dovitinib, Adefovir dipivoxil, and Biapenem potently inhibit ACE2-dependent viral entry with inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) values of 57nM, 74 nM, 130 nM, and 183 nM, respectively.Conclusion and implicationsWe identified four novel FDA-approved candidate drugs for anti-SARS-CoV-2 combination therapy. Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting drug repurposing as a viable strategy for rapidly developing COVID-19 treatments.
ISSN:1663-9812