The Local Anaesthetic Procaine Prodrugs ProcCluster^® and Procaine Hydrochloride Impair SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Egress In Vitro.

ABSTRACT: As vaccination efforts against SARS-CoV-2 progress in many countries, there is still an urgent need for efficient antiviral treatment strategies for those with severer disease courses, and lately, considerable efforts have been undertaken to repurpose existing drugs as antivirals. The local anaesthetic procaine has been investigated for antiviral properties against several viruses over the past decades. Here, we present data on the inhibitory effect of the procaine prodrugs ProcCluster^® and procaine hydrochloride on SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. Both procaine prodrugs limit SARS-CoV-2 progeny virus titres as well as reduce interferon and cytokine responses in a proportional manner to the virus load. The addition of procaine during the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 replication

SUBMITTER: Haring C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10572566 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature