Pedro Henrique de Souza Guarda
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Pedro Henrique de Souza Guarda has a total of 12 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Ana Carolina Gomes Jardim
Laboratory of Antiviral Research (LAPAV), Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Brazil
1 shared publication - Andres Merits
Institute of Bioengineering, University of Tartu
1 shared publication - Camilla Abbehausen
Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
1 shared publication - Dalan Bailey
The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK
1 shared publication - Deborah Cristina Teixeira Alves
Innovation Centre in Salivary Diagnostics and Nanobiotechnology, Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology – “Luiz Ricardo Goulart”, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, Brazil
1 shared publication - Gustavo Clauss Rodrigues
Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 7 May 2026
- Published by Microbiology Society in Journal of General Virology
- Vol. 107 (5) , 002245
Copper(II) benzyloxychalcone analogues as new potential metallodrugs against SARS-CoV-2 replication
Chalcones, a naturally occurring class of molecules found in various plants, serve as both precursors and final products in the biosynthesis of flavonoids. Renowned for their diverse therapeutic actions, chalcones demonstrate anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antimalarial and antiviral activities. The structure of chalcones allows chemical manipulation, making them attractive for metal coordination, such as with copper, an essential metal for living organisms. Here, we characterize the activity of CuL 2 phen and CuL 1 phen against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in which L1 and L2 are two forms of the chalcones 3-(4-(benzyloxy)phenyl)-1-(4-fluoro-2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one and 3-(4-(benzyloxy)phenyl)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, respectively, and phen is phenanthroline. CuL 1 phen and CuL 2 phen anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity were studied in the viral replication cycle employing both the SARS-CoV-2-NeonGreen infectious clone and wild-type isolates. The SI of CuL 1 phen and CuL 2 phen was found to be 1.7 and 5.5, respectively, demonstrating that CuL 2 phen is a more promising compound. CuL 2 phen impaired SARS-CoV-2 entry, predicted by molecular docking calculations to disrupt the glycoprotein S and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding, emphasized by the low EC 50 in pseudotyped virus entry assay. Further, CuL 2 phen was identified as SARS-CoV-2 post-entry inhibitor, probably due to its strong interaction with SARS-CoV-2 double stranded RNA. Altogether, the data suggest that CuL 2 phen acts by impairing SARS-CoV-2 entry by disrupting the viral envelope as well as interrupting RNA replication through specifically intercalating into the dsRNA. The obtained results give us mechanistic insights into the activity of this promising Cu(II) metallodrug candidate in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- 7 May 2026
- Published by Microbiology Society in Journal of General Virology
- Vol. 107 (5) , 002245
Open AccessCopper(II) benzyloxychalcone analogues as new potential metallodrugs against SARS-CoV-2 replication
Chalcones, a naturally occurring class of molecules found in various plants, serve as both precursors and final products in the biosynthesis of flavonoids. Renowned for their diverse therapeutic actions, chalcones demonstrate anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antimalarial and antiviral activities. The structure of chalcones allows chemical manipulation, making them attractive for metal coordination, such as with copper, an essential metal for living organisms. Here, we characterize the activity of CuL 2 phen and CuL 1 phen against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in which L1 and L2 are two forms of the chalcones 3-(4-(benzyloxy)phenyl)-1-(4-fluoro-2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one and 3-(4-(benzyloxy)phenyl)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, respectively, and phen is phenanthroline. CuL 1 phen and CuL 2 phen anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity were studied in the viral replication cycle employing both the SARS-CoV-2-NeonGreen infectious clone and wild-type isolates. The SI of CuL 1 phen and CuL 2 phen was found to be 1.7 and 5.5, respectively, demonstrating that CuL 2 phen is a more promising compound. CuL 2 phen impaired SARS-CoV-2 entry, predicted by molecular docking calculations to disrupt the glycoprotein S and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding, emphasized by the low EC 50 in pseudotyped virus entry assay. Further, CuL 2 phen was identified as SARS-CoV-2 post-entry inhibitor, probably due to its strong interaction with SARS-CoV-2 double stranded RNA. Altogether, the data suggest that CuL 2 phen acts by impairing SARS-CoV-2 entry by disrupting the viral envelope as well as interrupting RNA replication through specifically intercalating into the dsRNA. The obtained results give us mechanistic insights into the activity of this promising Cu(II) metallodrug candidate in SARS-CoV-2 infection.