Fig. 2.

Simplified cartoon representation of the involvement of 25‐HC in protection against SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. (A) The virus enters the cell via endocytosis. Viral RNA escapes from the endosome/lysosome compartment by membrane fusion in concert with NPC2–NPC1‐mediated export of cholesterol. 25‐HC inhibits NPC1‐mediated cholesterol export and traps the virus in the late endosome/lysosome compartment [29]. Alternatively, (B) 25‐HC may activate acyl‐CoA cholesterol acyltransferase and sequester cholesterol as the ester, depleting the availability of plasma membrane nonesterified cholesterol required for membrane fusion and viral entry [31].