Inhibitory activities of marine sulfated polysaccharides against SARS-CoV-2

Food Funct. 2020 Sep 23;11(9):7415-7420. doi: 10.1039/d0fo02017f.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread around the world at an unprecedented rate. In the present study, 4 marine sulfated polysaccharides were screened for their inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2, including sea cucumber sulfated polysaccharide (SCSP), fucoidan from brown algae, iota-carrageenan from red algae, and chondroitin sulfate C from sharks (CS). Of them, SCSP, fucoidan, and carrageenan showed significant antiviral activities at concentrations of 3.90-500 μg mL-1. SCSP exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity with IC50 of 9.10 μg mL-1. Furthermore, a test using pseudotype virus with S glycoprotein confirmed that SCSP could bind to the S glycoprotein to prevent SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry. The three antiviral polysaccharides could be employed to treat and prevent COVID-19.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiviral Agents / chemistry
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • Betacoronavirus / drug effects*
  • Betacoronavirus / physiology
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Phaeophyceae / chemistry*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology
  • Polysaccharides / chemistry
  • Polysaccharides / pharmacology*
  • Rhodophyta / chemistry*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Sea Cucumbers / chemistry*
  • Sharks
  • Sulfates / chemistry
  • Virus Internalization / drug effects

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Polysaccharides
  • Sulfates