@article {31212,
	title = {Natural triterpenoids from licorice potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection},
	journal = {J Adv Res .},
	volume = {36},
	year = {2021},
	pages = {201-210},
	abstract = {Introduction:\&nbsp;The COVID-19 global epidemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a great public health emergency. Discovering antiviral drug candidates is urgent for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Objectives:\&nbsp;This work aims to discover natural SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine licorice. Methods:\&nbsp;We screened 125 small molecules from\&nbsp;Glycyrrhiza uralensis\&nbsp;Fisch. (licorice, Gan-Cao) by virtual ligand screening targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Potential hit compounds were further evaluated by ELISA, SPR, luciferase assay, antiviral assay and pharmacokinetic study. Results:\&nbsp;The triterpenoids licorice-saponin A3 (A3) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) could potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, with EC50\&nbsp;of 75 nM and 3.17 {\textmu}M, respectively. Moreover, we reveal that A3 mainly targets the nsp7 protein, and GA binds to the spike protein RBD of SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion:\&nbsp;In this work, we found GA and A3 from licorice potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection by affecting entry and replication of the virus. Our findings indicate that these triterpenoids may contribute to the clinical efficacy of licorice for COVID-19 and could be promising candidates for antiviral drug development. Keywords:\&nbsp;COVID-19; Glycyrrhetinic acid; Licorice; Licorice-saponin A3; SARS-CoV-2.},
	url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35116174/},
	author = {Yang Yi and Li, Junhua and Xinyuan Lai and Meng Zhang and Yi Kuang and Yang-Oujie Bao and Rong Yu and Wei Hong and Elishiba Muturi and Heng Xue and Hongping Wei and Li, Tong and Hui Zhuang and Xue Qiao and Kuanhui Xiang and Hang Yang and Min Ye}
}
