Oxoammonium salts exert antiviral effects against coronavirus via denaturation of their spike proteins

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) infection has forced social changes worldwide. Development of potent antiviral agents is necessary to prevent future pandemics. Titanium oxide, a photocatalyst, is a long-acting antiviral agent; however, its effects are weakened in the dark. Therefore, new antiviral substances that can be used in the dark are needed. Two types of nitroxyl radicals, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine N-oxyl (TEMPO) and 2-azaadamantane N-oxyl (AZADO), are commonly used as oxidation catalysts utilizing oxygen in the air as the terminal oxidant. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of these radicals as antiviral compounds with sustained activity even in the dark. We evaluated the antiviral effects of oxoammonium salts corresponding to TEMPO and AZADO (TEMPO-Oxo and AZADO-Oxo, respectively), which are the active forms of nitroxyl radicals in oxidation reactions. TEMPO-Oxo and AZADO-Oxo inhibited the binding of SARS-CoV2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Notably, AZADO-Oxo exhibited a 10-fold stronger inhibitory effect than TEMPO-Oxo. TEMPO-Oxo and AZADO-Oxo also denatured S-RBD; however, effects of AZADO-Oxo were 10-fold stronger than those of TEMPO-Oxo and did not change in the dark. Some S-RBD peptides treated with AZADO-Oxo were cleaved at the N-terminal side of tyrosine residues. TEMPO-Oxo and AZADO-Oxo exhibited concentration-dependent antiviral effects against feline coronavirus. In conclusion, active forms of the nitroxyl radicals, TEMPO-Oxo and AZADO-Oxo, exerted antiviral effects by denaturing S-RBD, regardless of the presence or absence of light, suggesting their potential as novel antiviral agents.