Heliyon (May 2024)

Synergistic peptide combinations designed to suppress SARS-CoV-2

  • Tao Han,
  • Linhong Song,
  • Xinxin Niu,
  • Meng Qiu,
  • Yi Wang,
  • Jing Wang,
  • Xiuyan Sun,
  • Jiali Ma,
  • Siqi Hu,
  • Zhichun Feng

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 9
p. e30489

Abstract

Read online

The SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, poses a significant threat to global healthcare. Peptide and peptide-based inhibitors, known for their safety, efficacy, and selectivity, have recently emerged as promising candidates for treating late-developing viral infections. In this study, three peptides were selected to target different stages of viral invasion, specifically ACE2 and S protein binding, as well as membrane fusion. The objective was to assess their ability to impede the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike pseudotyped virus. Our findings revealed that a combination of these three peptides demonstrated enhanced antiviral effects. This outcome substantiates the feasibility of developing effective peptide combinations to combat diseases related to SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the three-peptide combinations, designed to target multiple aspects of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, exhibited heightened viral inhibition and broad-spectrum antiviral properties.

Keywords