A Sulfated Abalone Polysaccharide Inhibited SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Vero E6 Cells In Vitro

Sulfate polysaccharides, such as heparin sulfate, have been found to have inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2. An abalone polysaccharide, AGSP, was deeply sulfate modified using the chlorosulfonic acid/pyridine method, yielding S-AGSP. AGSP and S-AGSP inhibitions of SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero E6 cells were tested in vitro. The interference of AGSP or S-AGSP on the binding interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme was tested using a biolayer interferometry assay. Results showed that S-AGSP, above a concentration of 1.87 µg/mL, significantly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero E6 cells. Compared with AGSP, S-AGSP obviously weakened the affinity between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2. The polysaccharide’s sulfate content played a vital role in influencing the binding affinity of spike protein to ACE2. Therefore, S-AGSP has potential as a COVID-19 competitive inhibitor as well as a candidate to be repurposed as a prophylactic COVID-19 therapeutic.