In Vitro Evaluation of the Activity of Terpenes and Cannabidiol against Human Coronavirus E229.

Lior Chatow,Hanna Voropaev,Ilan Winkler,Iris Nesher,Zohar Kerem,Adi Nudel,Zohara Yaniv,Nadav Eyal,Ronnie Levy,David Hayo Hemo,Perri Rozenberg

doi:10.3390/life11040290

Abstract

The activity of a new, terpene-based formulation, code-named NT-VRL-1, against Human Coronavirus (HCoV) strain 229E was evaluated in human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5 cells), with and without the addition of cannabidiol (CBD). The main constituents in the terpene formulation used for the experiment were beta caryophyllene, eucalyptol, and citral. The tested formulation exhibited an antiviral effect when it was pre-incubated with the host cells prior to virus infection. The combination of NT-VRL-1 with CBD potentiated the antiviral effect better than the positive controls pyrazofurin and glycyrrhizin. There was a strong correlation between the quantitative results from a cell-viability assay and the cytopathic effect seen under the microscope after 72 h. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of activity of a combination of terpenes and CBD against a coronavirus.

Highlights

Coronaviruses are enveloped, non-segmented, positive-strand RNA viruses of the family Coronaviridae that cause a wide spectrum of illnesses in humans, including respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases [1]
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [3], as of January 26th, 2021, there have been a total of 98,925,221 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including 2,127,294 deaths
While SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and can only be studied in a biosafety level 4 facility, working with the less virulent strain Human Coronavirus (HCoV)-229E is considered a good alternative for preliminary research [2,4,5]

Summary

Introduction

Coronaviruses are enveloped, non-segmented, positive-strand RNA viruses of the family Coronaviridae that cause a wide spectrum of illnesses in humans, including respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases [1]. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has produced an epidemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was first identified in December 2019, in China, and in other regions and countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [3], as of January 26th, 2021, there have been a total of 98,925,221 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including 2,127,294 deaths. This outbreak has led to a search for active antiviral compounds to treat this disease. The potential of phytochemicals, such as terpenes, for use as potent antiviral agents has received considerable attention, especially because these substances are naturally abundant with relatively low toxicity and cost [7]

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