Epigallocatechin gallate from green tea effectively blocks infection of SARS-CoV-2 and new variants by inhibiting spike binding to ACE2 receptor

Abstract

Background As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the new SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged in the different regions of the world. These newly emerged variants have mutations in their spike (S) protein that may confer resistance to vaccine-elicited immunity and existing neutralizing antibody therapeutics. Therefore, there is still an urgent need of safe, effective, and affordable agents for prevention/treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and its variant infection. Results We demonstrated that green tea beverage (GTB) or its major ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), were highly effective in inhibiting infection of live SARS-CoV-2 and human coronavirus (HCoV OC43). In addition, infection of the pseudoviruses with spikes of the new variants (UK-B.1.1.7, SA-B.1.351, and CA-B.1.429) was efficiently blocked by GTB or EGCG. Among the 4 active green tea catechins at noncytotoxic doses, EGCG was the most potent in the action against the viruses. The highest inhibitory activity was observed when the viruses or the cells were pre-incubated with EGCG prior to the infection. Mechanistic studies revealed that EGCG blocked infection at the entry step through interfering with the engagement of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral spikes to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of the host cells. Conclusions These data support further clinical evaluation and development of EGCG as a novel, safe, and cost-effective natural product for prevention/treatment of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection.

SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing activity of polyphenols in a special green tea extract preparation

“…According to our in vitro results, sGTE has a high virus reducing potential and a virus-variant independent mode of action. These findings are in line with previous investigations showing that green tea extract has antiviral properties ( Liu et al, 2021a ; Takeda et al, 2021 ).…”

“…It has also been shown in vitro that EGCG treatment decreased 3CL-protease activity of HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-229E, as well as HCoV-OC43-induced cytotoxicity ( Liu et al, 2021b , Jang et al, 2021 ). Other studies have shown that EGCG effectively blocks infection of SARS-CoV-2 and new variants by inhibiting spike binding to ACE2 receptor ( Joseph et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2021a ) and EGCG has been suggested for prevention COVID-19 ( Tsvetkov et al, 2021 ). It was also shown, that EGCG blocks not only the entry of SARS-CoV-2, but also MERS- and SARS-CoV pseudo-typed lentiviral vectors and inhibited virus infections in vitro ( Henss et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Recently, it has been shown that extracts from black and green tea rapidly inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in saliva in vitro ( Ohgitani et al, 2021 ), and that EGCG from green tea effectively blocks infection of SARS-CoV-2 and new variants by inhibiting spike protein binding to ACE2 receptor ( Liu et al, 2021a ). It has also been discussed whether green tea consumption is correlated with lower COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in certain countries ( Storozhuk, 2021 ).…”

Natural Compounds as Target Biomolecules in Cellular Adhesion and Migration: From Biomolecular Stimulation to Label-Free Discovery and Bioactivity-Based Isolation

“…In the case of SARS-CoV-2, glycyrrhizin was found to have the highest binding affinity with the viral S protein [ 276 , 279 ], but curcumin, apigenin and chrisophanol also bind to this part of the virus according to in silico molecular docking [ 279 ]. In a recent study, EGCG from green tea beverage was shown to inhibit infection of live virus and its variants by inhibiting spike binding to ACE2 receptor [ 280 ].…”

Effect of Extraction Methodology on the Phytochemical Composition for Camelia sinensis “Powdered Tea Extracts” from Different Provenances

“…Consumers perceive tea as a healthy drink with a variety of benefits related to the ability of its constituents to act as a booster of the human immune systems. For instance, recent studies suggest that EGCG may inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 [14].…”