Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has incited a global health crisis. Currently, there are no orally available medications for prophylaxis for those exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and limited therapeutic options for those who develop
COVID-19. We evaluated the
antiviral activity of
sulforaphane (SFN), a naturally occurring, orally available, well-tolerated, nutritional supplement present in high concentrations in cruciferous vegetables with limited side effects. SFN inhibited in vitro replication of four strains of SARS-CoV-2 as well as that of the seasonal coronavirus HCoV-OC43. Further, SFN and
remdesivir interacted synergistically to inhibit
coronavirus infection in vitro. Prophylactic administration of SFN to K18-hACE2 mice prior to intranasal
SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly decreased the viral load in the lungs and upper respiratory tract and reduced
lung injury and pulmonary pathology compared to untreated infected mice. SFN treatment diminished immune cell activation in the lungs, including significantly lower recruitment of myeloid cells and a reduction in T cell activation and
cytokine production. Our results suggest that SFN is a promising treatment for prevention of
coronavirus infection or treatment of early disease.