Matairesinol Treatment Interferes with the Replication of Coronavirus

The spread of a coronavirus infection can result in a pandemic, similar to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Such an infection also accounts for a considerable portion of common cold cases. Although coronavirus medicines are already available, alternative treatments are still required as the coronavirus can produce many variants. Matairesinol, a lignan family compound, is the constituent of cereals, such as rye. We used the human coronavirus OC43 to evaluate the antiviral activity of matairesinol. Matairesinol treatment interferes with coronavirus replication. This treatment decreases the expression of coronavirus protein and RNA as well as the number of coronavirus-induced plaque formations. Our experimental results collectively indicate that matairesinol treatment can potentially reduce coronavirus replication.