Repurposing Nucleoside Analogs for Human Coronaviruses

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Dec 16;65(1):e01652-20. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01652-20. Print 2020 Dec 16.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a serious illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or CoV-2). Some reports claimed certain nucleoside analogs to be active against CoV-2 and thus needed confirmation. Here, we evaluated a panel of compounds and identified novel nucleoside analogs with antiviral activity against CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 while ruling out others. Of significance, sofosbuvir demonstrated no antiviral effect against CoV-2, and its triphosphate did not inhibit CoV-2 RNA polymerase.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronaviridae; HCoV-OC43; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral agents; emtricitabine; lamivudine; nucleoside analogs; remdesivir; sofosbuvir.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiviral Agents / chemistry
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antiviral Agents / toxicity
  • Cell Line
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Coronavirus OC43, Human / drug effects
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Drug Repositioning / methods*
  • Humans
  • Nucleosides / chemistry
  • Nucleosides / pharmacology*
  • Nucleosides / toxicity
  • Propanolamines / pharmacology
  • SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects*
  • Sofosbuvir / pharmacology
  • Vero Cells

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Nucleosides
  • Propanolamines
  • ALS 8123
  • Sofosbuvir