Design, synthesis, docking, and biochemical characterization of non-nucleoside SARS-CoV-2 RdRp inhibitors

In Vitro and In Vivo Biological Evaluation of Novel 1,4-Naphthoquinone Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

A novel library of naphthoquinone derivatives (3-5 aa) was synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer properties. Specifically, compounds 5 i, 5 l, 5 o, 5 q, 5 r, 5 s, 5 t, and 5 v demonstrated superior cytotoxic activity against the cancer cell lines that were studied. All the studied compounds exhibited a higher selectivity index (SI) and a favourable safety profile than the standard drug doxorubicin. Notably, compound 5 v displayed a greater cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cells (IC50=1.2 μM, and 0.9 μM at 24 h and 48 h, respectively) compared to the standard drug doxorubicin (IC50=2.4 μM, and 2.1 μM at 24 h and 48 h, respectively). To further investigate the mechanism of cytotoxic effect, additional anticancer studies were conducted with 5 v in MCF-7 cells. The studies are including morphological changes, AO/EB (acridine orange/ethidium bromide) double staining, apoptosis analysis, cell colony assay, SDS-PAGE and Western blotting, cell cycle analysis, and detecting reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay. The findings showed that 5 v triggered cytotoxic effects in MCF-7 cells through the initiation of cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase and necrosis. In vivo ecotoxicity studies indicated that 5 v had lower toxicity towards zebrafish larvae (LC50=50.15 μM) and had an insignificant impact on cardiac functions. In vivo xenotransplantation of MCF-7 cells in zebrafish larvae demonstrated a significant reduction in tumour volume in the xenograft. Approximately 95 % of the zebrafish larvae with 5 v xenografts survived after 10 days of the treatment. Finally, a computational modelling study was conducted on four protein receptors, namely ER, EFGR, BRCA1, and VEFGR2. The findings highlight the importance of the aminonaphthoquinone moiety, amide linkage, and propyl thio moiety in enhancing the anticancer properties. 5 v exhibited superior drug-likeness features and docking scores (-9.1, -7.1, -8.9, and -10.9 kcal/mol) compared to doxorubicin (-7.2, -6.1, -6.9, and -7.3 kcal/mol) against ER, EFGR, BRCA1, and VEGFR2 receptors, respectively. Therefore, the notable antitumor effects of naphthoquinone derivatives (3-5 aa) suggest that these molecular frameworks may play a role in the development of promising anticancer agents for cancer treatment.

Recent advancements in the discovery of small-molecule non-nucleoside inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV-2 RdRp

The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a pivotal role in the life cycle of the novel coronavirus and stands as a significant and promising target for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. Non-nucleoside inhibitors (NNIs), as a category of compounds directed against SARS-CoV-2 RdRp, exhibit a unique and highly effective mechanism, effectively overcoming various factors contributing to drug resistance against nucleoside inhibitors (NIs). This review investigates various NNIs, including both natural and synthetic inhibitors, that closely interacting with the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp with valid evidences from in vitro and in silico studies.

Covalent Inhibitors from Saudi Medicinal Plants Target RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has caused a huge loss of human life, and the number of deaths is still continuing. Despite the lack of repurposed drugs and vaccines, the search for potential small molecules to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 is in demand. Hence, we relied on the drug-like characters of ten phytochemicals (compounds 1-10) that were previously isolated and purified by our research team from Saudi medicinal plants. We computationally evaluated the inhibition of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) by compounds 1-10. Non-covalent (reversible) docking of compounds 1-10 with RdRp led to the formation of a hydrogen bond with template primer nucleotides (A and U) and key amino acid residues (ASP623, LYS545, ARG555, ASN691, SER682, and ARG553) in its active pocket. Covalent (irreversible) docking revealed that compounds 7, 8, and 9 exhibited their irreversible nature of binding with CYS813, a crucial amino acid in the palm domain of RdRP. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation analysis by RMSD, RMSF, and Rg parameters affirmed that RdRP complexes with compounds 7, 8, and 9 were stable and showed less deviation. Our data provide novel information on compounds 7, 8, and 9 that demonstrated their non-nucleoside and irreversible interaction capabilities to inhibit RdRp and shed new scaffolds as antivirals against SARS-CoV-2.

Discovery of Hybrid Thiouracil-Coumarin Conjugates as Potential Novel Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents Targeting the Virus's Polymerase "RdRp" as a Confirmed Interacting Biomolecule

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, along with its various strains, has emerged as a global health crisis that has severely affected humankind and posed a great challenge to the public health system of affected countries. The replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mainly depends on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), a key enzyme that is involved in RNA synthesis. In this regard, we designed, synthesized, and characterized hybrid thiouracil and coumarin conjugates (HTCAs) by ether linkage, which were found to have anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties. Our in vitro real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) results confirmed that compounds such as 5d, 5e, 5f, and 5i inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV-2 with EC50 values of 14.3 ± 0.14, 6.59 ± 0.28, 86.3 ± 1.45, and 124 ± 2.38 μM, respectively. Also, compound 5d displayed significant antiviral activity against human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E). In addition, some of the HTCAs reduced the replication of SARS-CoV-2 variants such as D614G and B.617.2. In parallel, HTCAs in uninfected Vero CCL-81 cells indicated that no cytotoxicity was noticed. Furthermore, we compared the in silico interaction of lead compounds 5d and 5e toward the cocrystal structure of Suramin and RdRp polymerase with Remdesvir triphosphate, which showed that compounds 5d, 5e, and Remdesvir triphosphate (RTP) share a common catalytical site of RdRp but not Suramin. Additionally, the in silico ADMET properties predicted for the lead HTCAs and RTP showed that the maximum therapeutic doses recommended for compounds 5d and 5e were comparable to those of RTP. Concurrently, the pharmacokinetics of 5d was characterized in male Wistar Albino rats by administering a single oral gavage at a dose of 10 mg/kg, which gave a Cmax value of 0.22 μg/mL and a terminal elimination half-life period of 73.30 h. In conclusion, we established a new chemical entity that acts as a SARS-CoV-2 viral inhibitor with minimal or no toxicity to host cells in the rodent model, encouraging us to proceed with preclinical studies.

Insights into targeting SARS-CoV-2: design, synthesis, in silico studies and antiviral evaluation of new dimethylxanthine derivatives

Aiming to achieve efficient activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the expansion of the structure- and ligand-based drug design approaches was adopted, which has been recently reported by our research group. Purine ring is a corner stone in the development of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibitors. The privileged purine scaffold was elaborated to achieve additional affinity based on hybridization and fragment-based approaches. Thus, the characteristic pharmacophoric features that are required for the inhibition of Mpro and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2 were utilized along with the crystal structure information of both targets. The designed pathways involved rationalized hybridization with large sulfonamide moieties and a carboxamide fragment for the synthesis of ten new dimethylxanthine derivatives. The synthesis was performed under diverse conditions to afford N-alkylated xanthine derivatives, and cyclization afforded tricyclic compounds. Molecular modeling simulations were used to confirm and gain insights into the binding interactions at both targets' active sites. The merit of designed compounds and the in silico studies resulted in the selection of three compounds that were evaluated in vitro to estimate their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 (compounds 5, 9a and 19 with IC50 values of 38.39, 8.86 and 16.01 μM, respectively). Furthermore, oral toxicity of the selected antiviral candidates was predicted, in addition to cytotoxicity investigations. Compound 9a showed IC50 values of 8.06 and 3.22 μM against Mpro and RdRp of SARS-CoV-2, respectively, in addition to promising molecular dynamics stability in both target active sites. The current findings encourage further specificity evaluations of the promising compounds for confirming their specific protein targeting.

Triterpene Derivatives as Potential Inhibitors of the RBD Spike Protein from SARS-CoV-2: An In Silico Approach

The appearance of a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in 2019 kicked off an international public health emergency. Although rapid progress in vaccination has reduced the number of deaths, the development of alternative treatments to overcome the disease is still necessary. It is known that the infection begins with the interaction of the spike glycoprotein (at the virus surface) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 cell receptor (ACE2). Therefore, a straightforward solution for promoting virus inhibition seems to be the search for molecules capable of abolishing such attachment. In this work, we tested 18 triterpene derivatives as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein by means of molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, modeling the RBD S1 subunit from the X-ray structure of the RBD-ACE2 complex (PDB ID: 6M0J). Molecular docking revealed that at least three triterpene derivatives of each type (i.e., oleanolic, moronic and ursolic) present similar interaction energies as the reference molecule, i.e., glycyrrhizic acid. Molecular dynamics suggest that two compounds from oleanolic and ursolic acid, OA5 and UA2, can induce conformational changes capable of disrupting the RBD-ACE2 interaction. Finally, physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties simulations revealed favorable biological activity as antivirals.