Common cardiac medications potently inhibit ACE2 binding to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike, and block virus penetration and infectivity in human lung cells

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 22195 - 14
• Main Authors: Caohuy, Hung, Eidelman, Ofer, Chen, Tinghua, Liu, Shufeng, Yang, Qingfeng, Bera, Alakesh, Walton, Nathan I., Wang, Tony T., Pollard, Harvey B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 12.11.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/154/556; 631/92/609; 692/699/1785/4039; A549 Cells; ACE2; Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 - metabolism; Animals; Cardiac glycosides; Cardiotonic Agents - pharmacology; Chlorocebus aethiops; COVID-19; COVID-19 - metabolism; COVID-19 Drug Treatment; Digitoxin - pharmacology; Digoxigenin; Digoxin; Digoxin - pharmacology; Glycosides; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Infectivity; Lung - drug effects; Lung - metabolism; multidisciplinary; Ouabain; Ouabain - pharmacology; Protein Binding - drug effects; Proteins; SARS-CoV-2 - drug effects; SARS-CoV-2 - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - metabolism; Spike protein; Vero Cells; Virus Internalization - drug effects

To initiate SARS-CoV-2 infection, the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) on the viral spike protein must first bind to the host receptor ACE2 protein on pulmonary and other ACE2-expressing cells. We hypothesized that cardiac glycoside drugs might block the binding reaction between ACE2 and the Spike (S)...