In the study published in eLife, the researchers show that the drug binds strongly to one end (‘C-terminal’) of a SARS-CoV-2 protein called Nsp1, which is one of the first viral proteins unleashed inside human cells.
IISc study reveals that asthma drug can block coronavirus from replicating
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has revealed that the drug used to treat asthma and allergies can bind to and block a crucial protein produced by the virus SARS-CoV-2, and reduce viral replication in human immune cells. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the drug, called montelukast, has been around for more than 20 years and is usually prescribed to reduce inflammation caused by conditions like asthma, hay fever and hives, the official release by IISC stated on Monday.
In the study published in eLife, the researchers show that the drug binds strongly to one end (‘C-terminal’) of a SARS-CoV-2 protein called Nsp1, which is one of the first viral proteins unleashed inside human cells. This protein can bind to ribosomes -- the protein-making machinery -- inside our immune cells and shut down the synthesis of vital proteins required by the immune system, thereby weakening it. Targeting Nsp1 could therefore reduce the damage inflicted by the virus.
"The mutation rate in this protein, especially the C-terminal region, is very low compared to the rest of the viral proteins," explained Tanweer Hussain, Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics (MRDG), IISc, and senior author of the study. Since Nsp1 is likely to remain largely unchanged in any variants of the virus that emerge, drugs targeting this region are expected to work against all such variants, he added.
Hussain and his team first used computational modelling to screen more than 1,600 FDA-approved drugs in order to find the ones that bound strongly to Nsp1. From these, they were able to shortlist a dozen drugs including montelukast and saquinavir, an anti-HIV drug.
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