Abstract
To combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, effective, safe, and brad-spectrum oral therapeutics are still in high demand [1]. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, that Interferon tau (IFN-τ) is highly potent in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero and Calu-3 cells, and it also improved outcomes in BALB/c mice infected with mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2. In a Cytopathic Effect (CPE) assay in vitro, IFN-τ potently inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 activity with an IC50 of 2.1 nM, which is ~1,000x more potent than the reference agents evaluated in the same assay, including Remdesivir2, Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, Aloxistatin, and Interferon Lambda (λ). In vivo, IFN-τ demonstrated oral efficacy in alleviating symptoms of mice infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus and decreased viral loads. Further, IFN-τ has a superior safety profile over other Type I interferons as demonstrated by pre-clinical animal studies as well as clinical studies reported in literature. In sum, we report here that IFN-τ is a potent oral agent against SARS-CoV-2 virus in vitro and in vivo, and may be further developed as an alternative treatment option in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic.
Citation
Tang W, Liu X, Bazer FW, Zhang G (2023) Interferon Tau Is a Potent Oral Agent against SARS-CoV-2 Infection. SM J Infect Dis 6: 12.