IISc study reveals that picolinic acid can block viruses causing SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

During their entry into host cells, the virus envelope and the host cell membrane fuse, creating a pore through which the virus’s genetic material enters the host cell, and starts replicating. IISc researchers found that picolinic acid specifically blocks this fusion.

A new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and collaborators has revealed that picolinic acid, a natural compound produced by mammalian cells, can block several viruses, including those responsible for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A.

Published in Cell Reports Medicine, the study describes the compound’s remarkable ability to disrupt the entry of enveloped viruses into the host’s cell and prevent infection. Picolinic acid is known to help in the absorption of zinc and other trace elements from our gut, but, in its natural form, it stays inside the body only for a short duration, and is usually excreted out quickly. In recent years, scientists have begun noticing that it may also exhibit anti-viral activity.

A few years ago, the IISc. team began investigating endocytosis, a cellular process often co-opted by viruses and bacteria to enter our cells. The researchers stumbled upon picolinic acid, and realised that the compound could slow down viral entry into host cells. Therefore, they decided to test its anti-viral potential.

“Coincidentally, the covid pandemic emerged during the study. So, we extended our research to examine its impact on SARS-CoV-2, and found it to be even more potent in this context,” said corresponding author Shashank Tripathi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology (MCB), as well as the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research (CIDR), IISc.

Notably, picolinic acid displayed a preference for blocking enveloped viruses. In addition to the usual protein coat found in all viruses, these enveloped viruses also have an extra outer membrane made of lipids derived from the host. This envelope is crucial for virus entry into its target cell. Incidentally, a majority of human viruses with high prevalence and pandemic potential are enveloped viruses.

During their entry into host cells, the virus envelope and the host cell membrane fuse, creating a pore through which the virus’s genetic material enters the host cell, and starts replicating.

The researchers found that picolinic acid specifically blocks this fusion, which explains its effectiveness against a variety of enveloped viruses, including flaviviruses like the Zika virus and the Japanese encephalitis virus. The compound did not have much effect on non-enveloped viruses, like rotavirus and coxsackievirus.