Glycyrrhizin effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 in vitro by inhibiting the viral main protease

van de Sand, L.; Bormann, M.; Alt, M.; Schipper, L.; Heilingloh, C. S.; Todt, D.; Dittmer, U.; Elsner, C.; Witzke, O.; Krawczyk, A.

doi:10.1101/2020.12.18.423104

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.12.18.423104

Glycyrrhizin effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 in vitro by inhibiting the viral main protease

van de Sand, L.·Bormann, M.·Alt, M.·Schipper, L.·Heilingloh, C. S.·Todt, D.·Dittmer, U.·Elsner, C.·Witzke, O.·Krawczyk, A.

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Abstract

The newly emerged coronavirus, which was designated as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the COVID-19 disease. High effective and well-tolerated medication for hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients is urgently needed. Traditional herbal medicine substances were discussed as promising candidates for the complementary treatment of viral diseases and recently suggested for the treatment of COVID-19. In the present study, we investigated aqueous licorice root extract for its neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, identified the active compound glycyrrhizin and uncovered the respective mechanism of viral neutralization. We demonstrated that glycyrrhizin, the primary active ingredient of the licorice root, potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by inhibiting the viral main protease. Our experiments highlight glycyrrhizin as a potential antiviral compound that should be further investigated for the treatment of COVID-19.

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van de Sand, L., Bormann, M., Alt, M., Schipper, L., Heilingloh, C. S., Todt, D., Dittmer, U., Elsner, C., Witzke, O., Krawczyk, A.. 2020-12-20. Glycyrrhizin effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 in vitro by inhibiting the viral main protease. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.18.423104

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