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Ethacridine inhibits SARS-CoV-2 by inactivating viral particles.

Authors :
Xiaoquan Li
Peter V Lidsky
Yinghong Xiao
Chien-Ting Wu
Miguel Garcia-Knight
Junjiao Yang
Tsuguhisa Nakayama
Jayakar V Nayak
Peter K Jackson
Raul Andino
Xiaokun Shu
Source :
PLoS Pathogens, Vol 17, Iss 9, p e1009898 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2021.

Abstract

The respiratory disease COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Here we report the discovery of ethacridine as a potent drug against SARS-CoV-2 (EC50 ~ 0.08 μM). Ethacridine was identified via high-throughput screening of an FDA-approved drug library in living cells using a fluorescence assay. Plaque assays, RT-PCR and immunofluorescence imaging at various stages of viral infection demonstrate that the main mode of action of ethacridine is through inactivation of viral particles, preventing their binding to the host cells. Consistently, ethacridine is effective in various cell types, including primary human nasal epithelial cells that are cultured in an air-liquid interface. Taken together, our work identifies a promising, potent, and new use of the old drug via a distinct mode of action for inhibiting SARS-CoV-2.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
15537366 and 15537374
Volume :
17
Issue :
9
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
PLoS Pathogens
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.552d796afa0a42e6b7dcd1f4fccebbef
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009898