[HTML][HTML] Impairment of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein maturation and fusion activity by nitazoxanide: an effect independent of spike variants emergence

A Riccio, S Santopolo, A Rossi, S Piacentini… - Cellular and Molecular …, 2022 - Springer
A Riccio, S Santopolo, A Rossi, S Piacentini, JF Rossignol, MG Santoro
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 2022Springer
Abstract SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has caused an unprecedented
global health crisis. The SARS-CoV-2 spike, a surface-anchored trimeric class-I fusion
glycoprotein essential for viral entry, represents a key target for developing vaccines and
therapeutics capable of blocking virus invasion. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 spike
variants that facilitate virus spread and may affect vaccine efficacy highlights the need to
identify novel antiviral strategies for COVID-19 therapy. Here, we demonstrate that …
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has caused an unprecedented global health crisis. The SARS-CoV-2 spike, a surface-anchored trimeric class-I fusion glycoprotein essential for viral entry, represents a key target for developing vaccines and therapeutics capable of blocking virus invasion. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants that facilitate virus spread and may affect vaccine efficacy highlights the need to identify novel antiviral strategies for COVID-19 therapy. Here, we demonstrate that nitazoxanide, an antiprotozoal agent with recognized broad-spectrum antiviral activity, interferes with SARS-CoV-2 spike maturation, hampering its terminal glycosylation at an endoglycosidase H-sensitive stage. Engineering multiple SARS-CoV-2 variant-pseudoviruses and utilizing quantitative cell–cell fusion assays, we show that nitazoxanide-induced spike modifications hinder progeny virion infectivity as well as spike-driven pulmonary cell–cell fusion, a critical feature of COVID-19 pathology. Nitazoxanide, being equally effective against the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-spike and different emerging variants, including the Delta variant of concern, may represent a useful tool in the fight against COVID-19 infections.
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