Antcins from Antrodia cinnamomea and Antrodia salmonea Inhibit Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) in Epithelial Cells: Can Be Potential Candidates for the Development of SARS-CoV-2 Prophylactic Agents

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 8; p. 1736
• Main Authors: Senthil Kumar, K J, Gokila Vani, M, Hsieh, Han-Wen, Lin, Chin-Chung, Wang, Sheng-Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.08.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: ACE2; Angiotensin; Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; antcin; Antioxidants; Antrodia cinnamomea; Antrodia salmonea; Brief Report; Colon; Conversion; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Cytotoxicity; Diabetes; Disease prevention; Disease transmission; Drug dosages; Enzymes; Epithelial cells; Epithelium; Glycoproteins; Infections; Inflammation; Investigations; Oxidants; Oxidizing agents; Pandemics; Peptidyl-dipeptidase A; Proteins; Public health; Respiratory diseases; RNA polymerase; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Steroids; Viral diseases; Viral infections; COVID-19; ACE2; SARS-CoV-2; antcin; Antrodia cinnamomea; Antrodia salmonea
• DOI: 10.3390/plants10081736
• ISSN: 2223-7747

Antcins are newly identified steroid-like compounds from Taiwan's endemic medicinal mushrooms and . Scientific studies of the past two decades confirmed that antcins have various pharmacological activities, including potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and is characterized as a significant threat to global public health. It was recently identified that SARS-CoV-2 required angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor which supports host cell entry and disease onset. Here, we report a novel function of antcins, in which antcins exhibit inhibitory effects on ACE2. Compared to the untreated control group, treatment with various antcins (antcin-A, antcin-B, antcin-C, antcin-H, antcin-I, and antcin-M) significantly inhibited ACE2 activity in cultured human epithelial cells. Indeed, among the investigated antcins, antcin-A, antcin-B, antcin-C, and antcin-I showed a pronounceable inhibition against ACE2. These findings suggest that antcins could be novel anti-ACE2 agents to prevent SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry and the following disease onset.