Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China.
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Enzymology, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, 705 Yatai Road, Jiaxing 314006, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jul 19;25(14):7902. doi: 10.3390/ijms25147902.
The frequent occurrence of viral infections poses a serious threat to human life. Identifying effective antiviral components is urgent. In China, pearls have been important traditional medicinal ingredients since ancient times, exhibiting various therapeutic properties, including detoxification properties. In this study, a peptide, KKCH, which acts against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was derived from pearls. Molecular docking showed that it bound to the same pocket of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein and cell surface target angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2). The function of KKCH was analyzed through surface plasmon resonance (SPR), Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays, immunofluorescence, and simulation methods using the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and live virus. The results showed that KKCH had a good affinity for ACE2 (KD = 6.24 × 10 M) and could inhibit the binding of the S1 protein to ACE2 via competitive binding. As a natural peptide, KKCH inhibited the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein to the surface of human BEAS-2B and HEK293T cells. Moreover, viral experiments confirmed the antiviral activity of KKCH against both the SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudovirus and SARS-CoV-2 live virus, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC) values of 398.1 μM and 462.4 μM, respectively. This study provides new insights and potential avenues for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
病毒感染的频繁发生对人类生命构成了严重威胁。寻找有效的抗病毒成分迫在眉睫。在中国，珍珠自古以来就是重要的传统药用成分，具有多种治疗特性，包括解毒特性。在这项研究中，一种从珍珠中提取的针对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 的肽 KKCH。分子对接表明，它与 SARS-CoV-2 S 蛋白和细胞表面靶标血管紧张素转换酶 II (ACE2) 的相同口袋结合。通过表面等离子体共振 (SPR)、酶联免疫吸附试验、免疫荧光和使用 SARS-CoV-2 假病毒和活病毒的模拟方法分析了 KKCH 的功能。结果表明，KKCH 对 ACE2 具有良好的亲和力 (KD = 6.24 × 10 M)，并可以通过竞争性结合抑制 S1 蛋白与 ACE2 的结合。作为一种天然肽，KKCH 抑制了 SARS-CoV-2 S1 蛋白与人 BEAS-2B 和 HEK293T 细胞表面的结合。此外，病毒实验证实了 KKCH 对 SARS-CoV-2 刺突假病毒和 SARS-CoV-2 活病毒的抗病毒活性，半数最大抑制浓度 (IC) 值分别为 398.1 μM 和 462.4 μM。这项研究为 SARS-CoV-2 感染的预防和治疗提供了新的见解和潜在途径。
