Cathepsin inhibitors nitroxoline and its derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection

Cathepsin inhibitors nitroxoline and its derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection

The members of Departments of Pharmaceutical biology and Pharmaceutical chemistry in collaboration with colleges from ICGEB in Triest published the paper in Antiviral Research (IF = 10.103) entitled »Cathepsin inhibitors nitroxoline and its derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection«. In paper the authors demonstrated that selective cathepsin B inhibitors, such as the antimicrobial agent nitroxoline and its derivatives, impair SARS-CoV-2 infection. Next, they showed that the antiviral activity of inhibitors depends on the host cell type and content and enzymatic activity of particular cathepsin. Taken together, the results highlight the important role of host cysteine cathepsin B in SARS-CoV-2 virus entry and show that cathepsin-specific inhibitors, such as nitroxoline and its derivatives, could be used to treat COVID-19.

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