Sophorolipid: a glycolipid biosurfactant as a potential therapeutic agent against COVID-19

Figures & data

Table 1. Biosurfactants having antiviral properties

Chemical Class	Biosurfactant	Microbial Source	Activity against viruses	References
Glycoplipids	Rhamnolipids	Pseudomonas aeruginosa 196; Pseudomonas sp.	Herpesvirus; Tobacco mosaic virus [Crop viral infection); Bovine coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2	20, 71,72
	Sophorolipids	Candida bombicola [Starmerella bombicola]	Human HIV, Epstein-Barr virus, and Influenza virus	45, 47, 48
Lipopeptide	Surfactin	Bacillus subtilis	Coronavirus (human CoV-229E, MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV]; influenza A virus [IAV); Herpes simplex virus; Simian immunodeficiency virus	Johnson et al., 2019 Vollenbroich et al., 1997
	Fengycin	Bacillus amyloliquefaciens	Cucumber mosaic virus	29
	Surfactin or Fengycin	Bacillus subtilis fmbj	Pseudorabies Virus, Porcine Parvovirus, Newcastle Disease Virus and Infectious Bursal Disease Virus	28

Figure 1. Structure of lactonic and acidic forms of sophorolipids

Figure 2. Structure of SARS-CoV-2 (a), and proposed mechanism of killing SARS-CoV-2 by sophorolipids (b)

Figure 3. Possible mechanism of action of sophorolipids in inhibiting the progression of COVID-19 by attenuating the ‘cytokine storm’ caused by SARS-CoV-2

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