Biomol Ther.  2021 May;29(3):268-272. 10.4062/biomolther.2021.032.

Antiviral Efficacy of Pralatrexate against SARS-CoV-2

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Microbiology, Institute for Viral Diseases, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
  • 2Biosafety Center, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea

Abstract

Novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has caused more than 100 million confirmed cases of human infectious disease (COVID-19) since December 2019 to paralyze our global community. However, only limited access has been allowed to COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral treatment options. Here, we report the efficacy of the anticancer drug pralatrexate against SARS-CoV-2. In Vero and human lung epithelial Calu-3 cells, pralatrexate reduced viral RNA copies of SARS-CoV-2 without detectable cytotoxicity, and viral replication was successfully inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. In a time-to-addition assay, pralatrexate treatment at almost half a day after infection also exhibited inhibitory effects on the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in Calu-3 cells. Taken together, these results suggest the potential of pralatrexate as a drug repurposing COVID-19 remedy.

Keyword

Antiviral; COVID-19; Drug repurposing; SARS-CoV-2
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