Efficacy of Plant-Made Human Recombinant ACE2 against COVID-19 in a Golden Syrian Hamster Model

Autor: Choon-Mee Kim, Dong-Min Kim, Mi-Seon Bang, Jun-Won Seo, Da-Young Kim, Na-Ra Yun, Sung-Chul Lim, Ju-Hyung Lee, Eun-Ju Sohn, Hyangju Kang, Kyungmin Min, Bo-Hwa Choi, Sangmin Lee
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Viruses, Vol 15, Iss 4, p 964 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1999-4915
DOI: 10.3390/v15040964
Popis: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. We evaluated the efficacy of a plant-based human recombinant angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hrACE2) and hrACE2-foldon (hrACE2-Fd) protein against COVID-19. In addition, we analyzed the antiviral activity of hrACE2 and hrACE2-Fd against SARS-CoV-2 using real-time reverse-transcription PCR and plaque assays. The therapeutic efficacy was detected using the Golden Syrian hamster model infected with SARS-CoV-2. Both hrACE2 and hrACE2-Fd inhibited SARS-CoV-2 by 50% at concentrations below the maximum plasma concentration, with EC50 of 5.8 μg/mL and 6.2 μg/mL, respectively. The hrACE2 and hrACE2-Fd injection groups showed a tendency for decreased viral titers in nasal turbinate tissues on day 3 after virus inoculation; however, this decrease was not detectable in lung tissues. Histopathological examination on day 9 after virus inoculation showed continued inflammation in the SARS-CoV-2 infection group, whereas decreased inflammation was observed in both the hrACE2 and hrACE2-Fd injection groups. No significant changes were observed at other time points. In conclusion, the potential therapeutic efficacy of plant-based proteins, hrACE2 and hrACE2-Fd, against COVID-19 was confirmed in a SARS-CoV-2-inoculated Golden Syrian hamster model. Further preclinical studies on primates and humans are necessary to obtain additional evidence and determine the effectiveness of these therapies.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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