Resveratrol And Pterostilbene Potently Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro

B. M. ter Ellen, N. Dinesh Kumar, E. M. Bouma, B. Troost, D. P.I. van de Pol, H. H. van der Ende-Metselaar, L. Apperloo, D. van Gosliga, M. van den Berge, M. C. Nawijn, P. H.J. van der Voort, J. Moser, I. A. Rodenhuis-Zybert, J. M. Smit

doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.24.285940

This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [what does this mean?].

PDF: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.24.285940v1.full.pdf

Abstract

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has an enormous impact on human health and economy. In search for therapeutic options, researchers have proposed resveratrol, a food supplement with known antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties as an advantageous antiviral therapy for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we provide evidence that both resveratrol and its metabolically more stable structural analog, pterostilbene, exhibits potent antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Resveratrol and pterostilbene showed antiviral activity in African green monkey kidney cells and in human primary bronchial epithelial cells cultured in an air-liquid interface system. Mechanistic analyses demonstrated that both compounds actively interfere with the post-entry steps of virus replication cycle and their antiviral activity is long-lasting. Collectively, our data indicate that resveratrol and pterostilbene are promising antiviral compounds to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection and advocate evaluation of these compounds in clinical trials.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.24.285940v1