Preprint Article Version 2 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Metabolic Modeling Elucidates Phenformin and Atpenin A5 as Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drugs

Version 1 : Received: 14 October 2022 / Approved: 17 October 2022 / Online: 17 October 2022 (03:42:37 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 30 November 2023 / Approved: 30 November 2023 / Online: 30 November 2023 (16:08:09 CET)
Version 3 : Received: 22 March 2024 / Approved: 22 March 2024 / Online: 22 March 2024 (16:46:59 CET)

How to cite: Renz, A.; Hohner, M.; Breitenbach, M.; Josephs-Spaulding, J.; Dürrwald, J.; Best, L.; Jami, R.; Marinos, G.; Cabreiro, F.; Dräger, A.; Schindler, M.; Kaleta, C. Metabolic Modeling Elucidates Phenformin and Atpenin A5 as Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drugs. Preprints 2022, 2022100223. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202210.0223.v2 Renz, A.; Hohner, M.; Breitenbach, M.; Josephs-Spaulding, J.; Dürrwald, J.; Best, L.; Jami, R.; Marinos, G.; Cabreiro, F.; Dräger, A.; Schindler, M.; Kaleta, C. Metabolic Modeling Elucidates Phenformin and Atpenin A5 as Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drugs. Preprints 2022, 2022100223. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202210.0223.v2

Abstract

Abstract:The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has reemphasized the urgent need for broad-spectrum antiviral therapies. We developed a computational pipeline using scRNA-Seq data to assess cellular metabolism during viral infection. With this pipeline we predicted the capacity of cells to sustain SARS-CoV-2 virion production in patients and found a tissue-wide induction of metabolic pathways that support viral replication. Expanding our analysis to influenza A and dengue viruses, we identified metabolic targets and inhibitors for potential broad-spectrum antiviral treatment. These targets were highly enriched for known interaction partners of all analyzed viruses. Indeed, phenformin, an NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase inhibitor, suppressed SARS-CoV-2 and dengue virus replication. Atpenin A5, blocking succinate dehydrogenase, inhibited SARS-CoV-2, dengue virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza A with high selectivity indices. In vivo, phenformin showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in a Syrian hamster model. Our work establishes host metabolism as druggable for broad-spectrum antiviral strategies, providing invaluable tools for pandemic preparedness.

Keywords

Drug discovery; Systems biology; SARS-CoV-2; Dengue; Influenza A; RSV; cell viability analysis; antivirals; in vitro validation; in vivo validation

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

Comments (1)

Comment 1
Received: 30 November 2023
Commenter: Andreas Dräger
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author
Comment: The article now includes new findings after evaluating the drug-candidate phenphormine in Syrian hamster models infected with SARS-CoV-2. Several parts of the text were rewritten to explain aspects of computational modeling and the overall approach better. All models are now available in the BioModels Database in a standardized format and will become publicly accessible after peer review. Additional improvements were performed.
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