The Interaction of Hypericin with SARS-CoV-2 Reveals a Multimodal Antiviral Activity.

ABSTRACT: Hypericin is a photosensitizing drug that is active against membrane-enveloped viruses and therefore constitutes a promising candidate for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The antiviral efficacy of hypericin is largely determined by its affinity toward viral components and by the number of active molecules loaded on single viruses. Here we use an experimental approach to follow the interaction of hypericin with SARS-CoV-2, and we evaluate its antiviral efficacy, both in the dark and upon photoactivation. Binding to viral particles is directly visualized with fluorescence microscopy, and a strong affinity for the viral particles, most likely for the viral envelope, is measured spectroscopically. The loading of a maximum of approximately 30 molecules per viral particle is estimated, d

SUBMITTER: Delcanale P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8972258 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature