Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To identify factors of the respiratory tract that suppress SARS-CoV-2, we screened a peptide/protein library derived from bronchoalveolar lavage, and identified α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) as specific inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2. α1-AT targets the viral spike protein and blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection of human airway epithelium at physiological concentrations. Our findings show that endogenous α1-AT restricts SARS-CoV-2 and repurposes α1-AT-based drugs for COVID-19 therapy.

中文翻译：

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Alpha-1抗胰蛋白酶抑制SARS-CoV-2感染

严重急性呼吸综合症冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）导致2019年冠状病毒疾病（COVID-19）。为了确定抑制SARS-CoV-2的呼吸道因素，我们筛选了源自支气管肺泡灌洗的肽/蛋白质文库，并确定了α1-抗胰蛋白酶（α1-AT）作为SARS-CoV-2的特异性抑制剂。α1-AT靶向病毒刺突蛋白，并在生理浓度下阻断人呼吸道上皮的SARS-CoV-2感染。我们的发现表明，内源性α1-AT会限制SARS-CoV-2，并将基于α1-AT的药物重新用于COVID-19治疗。