Angiotensin receptor blockers
Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been reported to associate with viral infection, including HCoVs42–44. Irbesartan (Z = –5.98), a typical ARB, was approved by the FDA for treatment of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy. Here, network proximity analysis shows a significant association between irbesartan’s targets and HCoV-associated host proteins in the human interactome. As shown in Fig. 5c, irbesartan targets SLC10A1, encoding the sodium/bile acid cotransporter (NTCP) protein that has been identified as a functional preS1-specific receptor for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the hepatitis delta virus (HDV). Irbesartan can inhibit NTCP, thus inhibiting viral entry45,46. SLC10A1 interacts with C11orf74, a potential transcriptional repressor that interacts with nsp-10 of SARS-CoV47. There are several other ARBs (such as eletriptan, frovatriptan, and zolmitriptan) in which their targets are potentially associated with HCoV-associated host proteins in the human interactome.