Identification of an Antiviral Compound from the Pandemic Response Box that Efficiently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro

Holwerda, Melle; V’kovski, Philip; Wider, Manon; Thiel, Volker; Dijkman, Ronald

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8121872

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Identification of an Antiviral Compound from the Pandemic Response Box that Efficiently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro

^1,2,3,4,†

^1,2,3,†

^3,†,

^1,2

and

Ronald Dijkman

^1,2,3,*

Institute of Virology and Immunology, 3147 Mittelhäusern, Switzerland

Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland

⁴

Graduate School for Molecular Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally.

Microorganisms 2020, 8(12), 1872; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8121872

Received: 30 October 2020 / Revised: 18 November 2020 / Accepted: 24 November 2020 / Published: 26 November 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Antivirals for Emerging Viruses)

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Abstract

With over 50 million currently confirmed cases worldwide, including more than 1.3 million deaths, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has a major impact on the economy and health care system. Currently, limited prophylactic or therapeutic intervention options are available against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, 400 compounds from the antimicrobial “pandemic response box” library were screened for inhibiting properties against SARS-CoV-2. An initial screen on Vero E6 cells identified five compounds that inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication. However, validation of the selected hits in a human lung cell line highlighted that only a single compound, namely Retro-2.1, efficiently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication. Additional analysis revealed that the antiviral activity of Retro-2.1 occurs at a post-entry stage of the viral replication cycle. Combined, these data demonstrate that stringent in vitro screening of preselected compounds in multiple cell lines refines the rapid identification of new potential antiviral candidate drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2. View Full-Text

Keywords: pandemic response box; drug repurposing; compound screen; SARS-CoV-2; Retro-2.1; remdesivir; Vero E6; Calu-3

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MDPI and ACS Style

Holwerda, M.; V’kovski, P.; Wider, M.; Thiel, V.; Dijkman, R. Identification of an Antiviral Compound from the Pandemic Response Box that Efficiently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro. Microorganisms 2020, 8, 1872. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8121872

AMA Style

Holwerda M, V’kovski P, Wider M, Thiel V, Dijkman R. Identification of an Antiviral Compound from the Pandemic Response Box that Efficiently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro. Microorganisms. 2020; 8(12):1872. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8121872

Chicago/Turabian Style

Holwerda, Melle, Philip V’kovski, Manon Wider, Volker Thiel, and Ronald Dijkman. 2020. "Identification of an Antiviral Compound from the Pandemic Response Box that Efficiently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro" Microorganisms 8, no. 12: 1872. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8121872

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Identification of an Antiviral Compound from the Pandemic Response Box that Efficiently Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro

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