Viral pandemics remain a persistent threat to global health and economic stability. Despite advancements in medicine, a lack of broad-spectrum antivirals (BSAs) hinders swift responses to new viral outbreaks. This challenge mainly stems from the absence of universal drug targets across different viral families and the high diversity of viral proteins. The authors tested 57 synthetic carbohydrate receptors (SCRs) for antiviral activity in cell culture, using pseudotyped virus particles (PVPs) from six high-risk viruses spanning three families: Paramyxoviridae, Filoviridae, and Coronaviridae. Four SCRs successfully inhibited all tested PVPs, and their effectiveness was validated against live viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, EBOV, MARV, NiV, and HeV.
Notably, SCR005 and SCR007, which showed minimal toxicity, greatly decreased SARS-CoV-2 infection in a severe animal model with just one dose. Mechanistic studies indicate that SCRs attach to viral envelope N-glycans, preventing viral attachment and fusion. These findings highlight conserved viral N-glycans as promising BSA targets and position SCRs as potential prophylactic agents against enveloped viruses with pandemic potential.
