Potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of aqueous extract from Banisteriopsis caapi and its major alkaloids

The objective of this work is to study the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of the aqueous extract of Banisteriopsis caapi and its major alkaloids, focusing on the inhibition of Spike:ACE2 interaction and PLpro activity. Our results for Spike:ACE2 interaction indicated greater inhibition for the B. caapi aqueous extract, and in the tested targets the best result was for PLpro inhibition. This study shows that these alkaloids are strong candidates for the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.