Murine hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59) is a coronavirus that infects mice with diseases similar to human conditions. Pseudoviruses are useful to determine mechanisms of action in viral infectivity because of their versatility and safety. MHV-A59 is a pseudovirus to severe acute respiratory-associated coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with common structural features in their viral spike (S) glycoproteins. The S protein on viruses is responsible for membrane fusion and mediating receptor binding. The development of peptides analogous to regions outside the fusion spike protein is the basis for the inhibition of viral infectivity. In recent studies, the combination of specified peptides and photosensitizers has demonstrated promising treatment of infections through photodynamic techniques. The photosensitization process where the transfer of energy excitation from ground-state oxygen to singlet oxygen, is an important aspect in oxidative degradation reactions. This process is the basis of photodynamic therapy that utilizes light, a sensitizer, and oxygen to initiate cell death. This presentation discusses the development of a targeting peptide attached to a photosensitizer organometallic complex in order to inhibit and kill virus particles through its spike protein.

Inhibiting infectivity of murine hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59) by targeting peptide organometallic compound to spike protein

ACS Spring 2022

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