Antiviral efficacy of honey bee antimicrobial peptides against SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose severe health and economic challenges, exacerbated by emerging antiviral drug resistance. As of now, there are several vaccines and a few FDA-approved drugs available; however, due to the emergence of antiviral drug resistance still there is a need for novel strategies and antiviral drugs. This study investigates honey bee-derived antimicrobial peptides (BAMPs) as potential multi-target antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2. A total of 82 BAMPs from eight bee species, classified into seven peptide classes, were screened for favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Finally, seventeen BAMPs were selected, modeled, and validated for further structural studies. Molecular docking revealed strong binding affinities with key viral and host targets, surpassing several FDA-approved antivirals. These interactions suggest BAMPs may inhibit viral entry, replication, and dissemination. Further, molecular dynamics simulation studies confirmed the stability, compactness, and flexibility of the docked complexes. Overall, present study highlight BAMPs as promising candidates for SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics, while warranting further in vitro and in vivo validation.