Antiviral activity of marine sulfated glycans against pathogenic human coronaviruses

Abstract

Great interest exists towards the discovery and development of broad-spectrum antivirals. This occurs due to the frequent emergence of new viruses which can also eventually lead to pandemics. A reasonable and efficient strategy to develop new broad-spectrum antivirals relies on targeting a common molecular player of various viruses. Heparan sulfate is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan present on the surface of cells which plays a key role as co-receptor in many virus infections. In previous work, marine sulfated glycans (MSGs) were identified as having antiviral activities. Their mechanism of action relies primarily on competitive inhibition of virion binding to heparan sulfate, preventing virus attachment to the cell surface prior to entry. In the current work we used pseudotyped lentivirus particles to investigate in a comparative fashion the inhibitory properties of five structurally defined MSGs against SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and influenza A virus (IAV). MSGs include the disaccharide-repeating sulfated galactan from the red alga Botryocladia occidentalis, the tetrasaccharide-repeating sulfated fucans from the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus and from the sea cucumber Isostichopus badionotus, and the two marine fucosylated chondroitin sulfates from the sea cucumbers I. badionotus and Pentacta pygmaea. Results indicate specificity of action against SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2. Curiously, the MSGs showed decreased inhibitory potencies against MERS-CoV and negligible action against IAV. Among the five MSGs, the two sulfated fucans here studied deserve further attention since they have the lowest anticoagulant effects but still present potent and selective antiviral properties.

Electrochemical Immunoassay Platform for Human Monkeypox Virus Detection

“…Interference experiments were performed under optimized conditions in the presence of 25 ng mL –1 A29 protein where the concentration of cocktail mixtures of possible interferents was in the ratio of 1:1 and 1:2 related to the concentration of A29. Following the information in the literature, A27, KMP11, and H1N1 were selected as possible interferents. − Using the results obtained from the EIS measurements of 1:1 and 1:2 cocktail mixtures, recovery values were calculated as 98.2 and 104%, respectively ( n = 3). These recovery values clearly demonstrate the usage of the developed immunosensor in the presence of the above interferents (Figure ).…”

Sulfated Glycans Inhibit the Interaction of MERS-CoV Receptor Binding Domain with Heparin

“…All these nine naturally marine-sourced sulfated glycans (IbSF, IbFucCS, HfSF, HfFucCS, PpFucCS, LvSF, RPI-27, PRI-28, and RS) exhibited the capacity to inhibit the interactions between MERS-CoV S proteins and surface-immobilized heparin. The inhibitory effects of heparin and marine sulfated glycans (LvSF, IbSF, IbFucCS, and PpFucCS) against MERS-CoV have been elucidated in previous studies utilizing a pseudotyped lentiviral particles methodology [ 34 ]. The results indicate that these four marine sulfated glycans demonstrate more potent anti-MERS-CoV activity in comparison to that in heparin, aligning with the trends observed in our own investigation.…”

“…The application of polysaccharides from seaweed sources is more cost-effective than that of those from marine invertebrates. Among the polysaccharides sourced from marine invertebrates, sulfated fucans exhibit low anticoagulant effects while maintaining potent antiviral properties compared to those of fucosylated chondroitin sulfate [ 34 ]. Therefore, we selected three seaweed-sourced glycans (RPI-27, RPI-28, and RS) and three types of sulfated fucans (HfSF, IbSF, and LvSF) for solution competition dose–response analysis.…”

Inhibition of adenovirus transport from the endosome to the cell nucleus by rotenone

“…The large structural diversity and complexity of natural products allow them to interfere with different biological pathways ( Martinez et al, 2015 ). This is the case for flavonoids, secondary metabolites produced by plants with reported antiviral activity against respiratory syncytial virus, HCMV, hepatitis C virus, herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, Newcastle virus, and chikungunya virus ( Takatsuki et al, 1969 ; Arakawa et al, 2009 ; Zakaryan et al, 2017 ; Nukui et al, 2018 ; Liao et al, 2020 ); similarly, glycans extracted from marine organisms have exhibited antiviral effects against RSV, HSV-1, HSV-2, dengue virus, human immunodeficiency, virus and HCMV ( Grice and Mariottini, 2018 ; Zoepfl et al, 2023 ).…”