5-Aminolevulinic acid antiviral efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in vitro

Mya Myat Ngwe Tun; Takaya Sakura; Yasuteru Sakurai; Yohei Kurosaki; Daniel Ken Inaoka; Norifumi Shioda; Chris Smith; Jiro Yasuda; Kouichi Morita; Kiyoshi Kita

doi:10.1186/s41182-022-00422-7

5-Aminolevulinic acid antiviral efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in vitro

Trop Med Health. 2022 Apr 27;50(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s41182-022-00422-7.

Authors

Mya Myat Ngwe Tun¹, Takaya Sakura², Yasuteru Sakurai^{3

4}, Yohei Kurosaki⁴, Daniel Ken Inaoka², Norifumi Shioda^{5

6}, Chris Smith⁷, Jiro Yasuda^{8

9}, Kouichi Morita¹⁰, Kiyoshi Kita^{11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. myamyat@tm.nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Molecular Infection Dynamics, Shionogi Global Infectious Diseases Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
³ Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
⁴ National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
⁵ Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG), Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁶ Graduate of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁷ School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
⁸ Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. j-yasuda@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
⁹ National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. j-yasuda@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
¹⁰ Department of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. moritak@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
¹¹ School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. kitak@kita-kiyoshi.net.
¹² Department of Host-Defense Biochemistry, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. kitak@kita-kiyoshi.net.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic continues to pose a threat to global health. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) has spread rapidly worldwide and became dominant in many countries. A natural 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) with sodium ferrous citrate (SFC) has demonstrated antiviral activity in Wuhan, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 infections in vitro. In this study, we report antiviral activity of 5-ALA, 5-ALA with SFC led to IC₅₀ of 329 and 765/191, respectively after infection with Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Our finding suggests that 5-ALA could be used as antiviral drug candidate to treat Omicron variant infected patients.

Keywords: 5-ALA; Antiviral activity; Omicron variant; SARS-CoV-2; SFC.

Publication types

Letter

Grants and funding

JP21wm0125006/Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development