1
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Shawky AM, Almalki FA, Alzahrani HA, Abdalla AN, Youssif BGM, Ibrahim NA, Gamal M, El-Sherief HAM, Abdel-Fattah MM, Hefny AA, Abdelazeem AH, Gouda AM. Covalent small-molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro: Insights into their design, classification, biological activity, and binding interactions. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 277:116704. [PMID: 39121741 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Since 2020, many compounds have been investigated for their potential use in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among these agents, a huge number of natural products and FDA-approved drugs have been evaluated as potential therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2 using virtual screening and docking studies. However, the identification of the molecular targets involved in viral replication led to the development of rationally designed anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Among these targets, the main protease (Mpro) is one of the key enzymes needed in the replication of the virus. The data gleaned from the crystal structures of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro complexes with small-molecule covalent inhibitors has been used in the design and discovery of many highly potent and broad-spectrum Mpro inhibitors. The current review focuses mainly on the covalent type of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. The design, chemistry, and classification of these inhibitors were also in focus. The biological activity of these inhibitors, including their inhibitory activities against Mpro, their antiviral activities, and the SAR studies, were discussed. The review also describes the potential mechanism of the interaction between these inhibitors and the catalytic Cys145 residue in Mpro. Moreover, the binding modes and key binding interactions of these covalent inhibitors were also illustrated. The covalent inhibitors discussed in this review were of diverse chemical nature and origin. Their antiviral activity was mediated mainly by the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, with IC50 values in the micromolar to the nanomolar range. Many of these inhibitors exhibited broad-spectrum inhibitory activity against the Mpro enzymes of other coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV). The dual inhibition of the Mpro and PLpro enzymes of SARS-CoV-2 could also provide higher therapeutic benefits than Mpro inhibition. Despite the approval of nirmatrelvir by the FDA, many mutations in the Mpro enzyme of SARS-CoV-2 have been reported. Although some of these mutations did not affect the potency of nirmatrelvir, there is an urgent need to develop a second generation of Mpro inhibitors. We hope that the data summarized in this review could help researchers in the design of a new potent generation of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed M Shawky
- Science and Technology Unit (STU), Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faisal A Almalki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hayat Ali Alzahrani
- Applied Medical Science College, Medical Laboratory Technology Department, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf N Abdalla
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 21955, Saudi Arabia; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medicinal And Aromatic Plants Research Institute, National Center for Research, Khartoum, 2404, Sudan
| | - Bahaa G M Youssif
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt.
| | - Nashwa A Ibrahim
- Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514, Egypt
| | - Mohammed Gamal
- Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514, Egypt
| | - Hany A M El-Sherief
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Deraya University, Minia, Egypt
| | - Maha M Abdel-Fattah
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A Hefny
- Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514, Egypt; School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1C5, Canada
| | - Ahmed H Abdelazeem
- Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514, Egypt; Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medical Sciences, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, 11681, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M Gouda
- Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514, Egypt.
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2
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Chen P, Van Oers TJ, Arutyunova E, Fischer C, Wang C, Lamer T, van Belkum MJ, Young HS, Vederas JC, Lemieux MJ. A Structural Comparison of Oral SARS-CoV-2 Drug Candidate Ibuzatrelvir Complexed with the Main Protease (M pro) of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. JACS AU 2024; 4:3217-3227. [PMID: 39211604 PMCID: PMC11350714 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2024] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Ibuzatrelvir (1) was recently disclosed and patented by Pfizer for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has received fast-track status from the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has entered phase III clinical trials as a possible replacement for Paxlovid. Like nirmatrelvir (2) in Paxlovid, this orally active drug candidate is designed to target viral main proteases (Mpro) through reversible covalent interaction of its nitrile warhead with the active site thiol of the chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CL protease). Inhibition of Mpro hinders the processing of the proteins essential for viral replication in vivo. However, ibuzatrelvir apparently does not require ritonavir (3), which is coadministered in Paxlovid to block human oxidative metabolism of nirmatrelvir. Here, we report the crystal structure of the complex of ibuzatrelvir with the active site of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro at 2.0 Å resolution. In addition, we show that ibuzatrelvir also potently inhibits the Mpro of Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which is fortunately not widespread but can be dangerously lethal (∼36% mortality). Co-crystal structures show that the binding mode of the drug to both active sites is similar and that the trifluoromethyl group of the inhibitor fits precisely into a critical S2 substrate binding pocket of the main proteases. However, our results also provide a rationale for the differences in potency of ibuzatrelvir for these two proteases due to minor differences in the substrate preferences leading to a weaker H-bond network in MERS-CoV Mpro. In addition, we examined the reversibility of compound binding to both proteases, which is an important parameter in reducing off-target effects as well as the potential immunogenicity. The crystal structures of the ibuzatrelvir complexes with Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 and of MERS-CoV will further assist drug design for coronaviral infections in humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Chen
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li Ka
Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Tayla J. Van Oers
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Elena Arutyunova
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li Ka
Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Conrad Fischer
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Chaoxiang Wang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Tess Lamer
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Marco J. van Belkum
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Howard S. Young
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - John C. Vederas
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - M. Joanne Lemieux
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li Ka
Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
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3
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Delgado R, Vishwakarma J, Moghadasi SA, Otsuka Y, Shumate J, Cuell A, Tansiongco M, Cooley CB, Chen Y, Dabrowska A, Basu R, Anindita PD, Luo D, Dosa PI, Harki DA, Bannister T, Scampavia L, Spicer TP, Harris RS. SARS-CoV-2 M pro inhibitor identification using a cellular gain-of-signal assay for high-throughput screening. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2024:100181. [PMID: 39173830 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2024.100181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2, SARS2) is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic and infections that continue to affect the lives of millions of people worldwide, especially those who are older and/or immunocompromised. The SARS2 main protease enzyme, Mpro (also called 3C-like protease, 3CLpro), is a bona fide drug target as evidenced by potent inhibition with nirmatrelvir and ensitrelvir, the active components of the drugs Paxlovid and Xocova, respectively. However, the existence of nirmatrelvir and ensitrelvir-resistant isolates underscores the need to develop next-generation drugs with different resistance profiles and/or distinct mechanisms of action. Here, we report the results of a high-throughput screen of 649,568 compounds using a cellular gain-of-signal assay. In this assay, Mpro inhibits expression of a luciferase reporter, and 8,777 small molecules were considered hits by causing a gain in luciferase activity 3x SD above the sample field activity (6.8% gain-of-signal relative to 100 µM GC376). Single concentration and dose-response gain-of-signal experiments confirmed 3,522/8,762 compounds as candidate inhibitors. In parallel, all initial high-throughput screening hits were tested in a peptide cleavage assay with purified Mpro and only 39/8,762 showed inhibition. Importantly, 19/39 compounds (49%) re-tested positive in both SARS2 assays, including two previously reported Mpro inhibitors, demonstrating the efficacy of the overall screening strategy. This approach led to the rediscovery of known Mpro inhibitors such as calpain inhibitor II, as well as to the discovery of novel compounds that provide chemical information for future drug development efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee Delgado
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Jyoti Vishwakarma
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Seyed Arad Moghadasi
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Yuka Otsuka
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Justin Shumate
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Ashley Cuell
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Megan Tansiongco
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA; Department of Chemistry, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | | | - Yanjun Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Agnieszka Dabrowska
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Rahul Basu
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Paulina Duhita Anindita
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore; Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Dahai Luo
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore; Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Peter I Dosa
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Daniel A Harki
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Thomas Bannister
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Louis Scampavia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Timothy P Spicer
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Reuben S Harris
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
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4
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Huang L, Gish M, Boehlke J, Jeep RH, Chen C. Assay Development and Validation for Innovative Antiviral Development Targeting the N-Terminal Autoprocessing of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Precursors. Viruses 2024; 16:1218. [PMID: 39205192 PMCID: PMC11359197 DOI: 10.3390/v16081218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) is initially synthesized as part of polyprotein precursors that undergo autoproteolysis to release the free mature Mpro. To investigate the autoprocessing mechanism in transfected mammalian cells, we examined several fusion precursors, with the mature SARS-CoV-2 Mpro along with the flanking amino acids (to keep the native substrate sequences) sandwiched between different tags. Our analyses revealed differential proteolysis kinetics at the N- and C-terminal cleavage sites. Particularly, N-terminal processing is differentially influenced by various upstream fusion tags (GST, sGST, CD63, and Nsp4) and amino acid variations at the N-terminal P1 position, suggesting that precursor catalysis is flexible and subject to complex regulation. Mutating Q to E at the N-terminal P1 position altered both precursor catalysis and the properties of the released Mpro. Interestingly, the wild-type precursors exhibited different enzymatic activities compared to those of the released Mpro, displaying much lower susceptibility to known inhibitors targeting the mature form. These findings suggest the precursors as alternative targets for antiviral development. Accordingly, we developed and validated a high-throughput screening (HTS)-compatible platform for functional screening of compounds targeting either the N-terminal processing of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro precursor autoprocessing or the released mature Mpro through different mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Chaoping Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; (L.H.); (M.G.); (J.B.); (R.H.J.)
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5
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Khatua K, Alugubelli YR, Yang KS, Vulupala VR, Blankenship LR, Coleman D, Atla S, Chaki SP, Geng ZZ, Ma XR, Xiao J, Chen PH, Cho CCD, Sharma S, Vatansever EC, Ma Y, Yu G, Neuman BW, Xu S, Liu WR. Azapeptides with unique covalent warheads as SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. Antiviral Res 2024; 225:105874. [PMID: 38555023 PMCID: PMC11070182 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The main protease (MPro) of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, is a pivotal nonstructural protein critical for viral replication and pathogenesis. Its protease function relies on three active site pockets for substrate recognition and a catalytic cysteine for enzymatic activity. To develop potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, we successfully synthesized a diverse range of azapeptide inhibitors with various covalent warheads to target MPro's catalytic cysteine. Our characterization identified potent MPro inhibitors, including MPI89 that features an aza-2,2-dichloroacetyl warhead with a remarkable EC50 value of 10 nM against SARS-CoV-2 infection in ACE2+ A549 cells and a selective index of 875. MPI89 is also remarkably selective and shows no potency against SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease and several human proteases. Crystallography analyses demonstrated that these inhibitors covalently engaged the catalytic cysteine and used the aza-amide carbonyl oxygen to bind to the oxyanion hole. MPI89 stands as one of the most potent MPro inhibitors, suggesting the potential for further exploration of azapeptides and the aza-2,2-dichloroacetyl warhead for developing effective therapeutics against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaustav Khatua
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Yugendar R Alugubelli
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Kai S Yang
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Veerabhadra R Vulupala
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Lauren R Blankenship
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Demonta Coleman
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Sandeep Atla
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Sankar P Chaki
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Zhi Zachary Geng
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Xinyu R Ma
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Jing Xiao
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Peng-Hsun Chen
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Chia-Chuan D Cho
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Shivangi Sharma
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Erol C Vatansever
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Yuying Ma
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Ge Yu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA
| | - Benjamin W Neuman
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Texas A&M Global Health Research Complex, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Health Science Centre, Department of Molecular Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Shiqing Xu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Wenshe Ray Liu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Center and Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77854, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Institute of Biosciences and Technology and Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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6
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Shellenberger BM, Basile ON, Cassel J, Olsen MR, Salvino JM, Montaner LJ, Tietjen I, Henry GE. Synthesis, SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibition, molecular docking and in silico ADME studies of furanochromene-quinoline hydrazone derivatives. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2024; 102:129679. [PMID: 38423371 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2024.129679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Seven furanochromene-quinoline derivatives containing a hydrazone linker were synthesized by condensing a furanochromene hydrazide with quinoline 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 8-carbaldehydes, including 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carbaldehye. Structure-activity correlations were investigated to determine the influence of the location of the hydrazone linker on the quinoline unit on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro enzyme inhibition. The 3-, 5-, 6- and 8-substituted derivatives showed moderate inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with IC50 values ranging from 16 to 44 μM. Additionally, all of the derivatives showed strong interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro substrate binding pocket, with docking energy scores ranging from -8.0 to -8.5 kcal/mol. These values are comparable to that of N3 peptide (-8.1 kcal/mol) and more favorable than GC-373 (-7.6 kcal/mol) and ML-188 (-7.5 kcal/mol), all of which are known SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. Furthermore, in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) profiles indicate that the derivatives have good drug-likeness properties. Overall, this study highlights the potential of the furanochromene-quinoline hydrazone scaffold as a SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake M Shellenberger
- Department of Chemistry, Susquehanna University, 514 University Avenue, Selinsgrove, PA 17870, USA
| | - Olivia N Basile
- Department of Chemistry, Susquehanna University, 514 University Avenue, Selinsgrove, PA 17870, USA
| | - Joel Cassel
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Morgan R Olsen
- Department of Chemistry, Bucknell University, One Dent Drive, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
| | | | | | - Ian Tietjen
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Geneive E Henry
- Department of Chemistry, Susquehanna University, 514 University Avenue, Selinsgrove, PA 17870, USA.
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7
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Amblard F, LeCher JC, De R, Zhou S, Liu P, Goh SL, Tao S, Patel D, Downs-Bowen J, Zandi K, Zhang H, Chaudhry G, McBrayer T, Muczynski M, Al-Homoudi A, Engel J, Lan S, Sarafianos SG, Kovari LC, Schinazi RF. Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel peptidomimetic inhibitors of the coronavirus 3C-like protease. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 268:116263. [PMID: 38432056 PMCID: PMC11188152 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and related variants, are responsible for the devastating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) plays a central role in the replication of the virus and represents an attractive drug target. Herein, we report the discovery of novel SARS-CoV-2 Mpro covalent inhibitors, including highly effective compound NIP-22c which displays high potency against several key variants and clinically relevant nirmatrelvir Mpro E166V mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Amblard
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Julia C LeCher
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ramyani De
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Shaoman Zhou
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Peng Liu
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Shu Ling Goh
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Sijia Tao
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Dharmeshkumar Patel
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jessica Downs-Bowen
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Keivan Zandi
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Huanchun Zhang
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Gitika Chaudhry
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Tamara McBrayer
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Michael Muczynski
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Abdullah Al-Homoudi
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Joseph Engel
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Shuiyun Lan
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Stefan G Sarafianos
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ladislau C Kovari
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Raymond F Schinazi
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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8
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Grifagni D, Lenci E, De Santis A, Orsetti A, Barracchia CG, Tedesco F, Bellini Puglielli R, Lucarelli F, Lauriola A, Assfalg M, Cantini F, Calderone V, Guardavaccaro D, Trabocchi A, D’Onofrio M, Ciofi-Baffoni S. Development of a GC-376 Based Peptidomimetic PROTAC as a Degrader of 3-Chymotrypsin-like Protease of SARS-CoV-2. ACS Med Chem Lett 2024; 15:250-257. [PMID: 38352832 PMCID: PMC10860180 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
We have applied a proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology to obtain a peptidomimetic molecule able to trigger the degradation of SARS-CoV-2 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLPro). The PROTAC molecule was designed by conjugating a GC-376 based dipeptidyl 3CLPro ligand to a pomalidomide moiety through a piperazine-piperidine linker. NMR and crystallographic data complemented with enzymatic and cellular studies showed that (i) the dipeptidyl moiety of PROTAC binds to the active site of the dimeric state of SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro forming a reversible covalent bond with the sulfur atom of catalytic Cys145, (ii) the linker and the pomalidomide cereblon-ligand of PROTAC protrude from the protein, displaying a high degree of flexibility and no interactions with other regions of the protein, and (iii) PROTAC reduces the protein levels of SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro in cultured cells. This study paves the way for the future applicability of peptidomimetic PROTACs to tackle 3CLPro-dependent viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Grifagni
- Magnetic
Resonance Center CERM, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Elena Lenci
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessia De Santis
- Magnetic
Resonance Center CERM, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Orsetti
- Magnetic
Resonance Center CERM, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Filomena Tedesco
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Raffaele Bellini Puglielli
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesca Lucarelli
- Magnetic
Resonance Center CERM, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Angela Lauriola
- Department
of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Michael Assfalg
- Department
of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca Cantini
- Magnetic
Resonance Center CERM, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Vito Calderone
- Magnetic
Resonance Center CERM, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Daniele Guardavaccaro
- Department
of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Andrea Trabocchi
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Mariapina D’Onofrio
- Department
of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Simone Ciofi-Baffoni
- Magnetic
Resonance Center CERM, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
- Consorzio
Interuniversitario Risonanze Magnetiche di Metalloproteine (CIRMMP), Via L. Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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9
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Huang CY, Metz A, Lange R, Artico N, Potot C, Hazemann J, Müller M, Dos Santos M, Chambovey A, Ritz D, Eris D, Meyer S, Bourquin G, Sharpe M, Mac Sweeney A. Fragment-based screening targeting an open form of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease binding pocket. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2024; 80:123-136. [PMID: 38289714 PMCID: PMC10836397 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798324000329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
To identify starting points for therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2, the Paul Scherrer Institute and Idorsia decided to collaboratively perform an X-ray crystallographic fragment screen against its main protease. Fragment-based screening was carried out using crystals with a pronounced open conformation of the substrate-binding pocket. Of 631 soaked fragments, a total of 29 hits bound either in the active site (24 hits), a remote binding pocket (three hits) or at crystal-packing interfaces (two hits). Notably, two fragments with a pose that was sterically incompatible with a more occluded crystal form were identified. Two isatin-based electrophilic fragments bound covalently to the catalytic cysteine residue. The structures also revealed a surprisingly strong influence of the crystal form on the binding pose of three published fragments used as positive controls, with implications for fragment screening by crystallography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia Ying Huang
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Metz
- Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Roland Lange
- Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Nadia Artico
- Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Céline Potot
- Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | | | - Manon Müller
- Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Daniel Ritz
- Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Deniz Eris
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Solange Meyer
- Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | | | - May Sharpe
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
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10
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Sulimov AV, Ilin IS, Tashchilova AS, Kondakova OA, Kutov DC, Sulimov VB. Docking and other computing tools in drug design against SARS-CoV-2. SAR AND QSAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 35:91-136. [PMID: 38353209 DOI: 10.1080/1062936x.2024.2306336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The use of computer simulation methods has become an indispensable component in identifying drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. There is a huge body of literature on application of molecular modelling to predict inhibitors against target proteins of SARS-CoV-2. To keep our review clear and readable, we limited ourselves primarily to works that use computational methods to find inhibitors and test the predicted compounds experimentally either in target protein assays or in cell culture with live SARS-CoV-2. Some works containing results of experimental discovery of corresponding inhibitors without using computer modelling are included as examples of a success. Also, some computational works without experimental confirmations are also included if they attract our attention either by simulation methods or by databases used. This review collects studies that use various molecular modelling methods: docking, molecular dynamics, quantum mechanics, machine learning, and others. Most of these studies are based on docking, and other methods are used mainly for post-processing to select the best compounds among those found through docking. Simulation methods are presented concisely, information is also provided on databases of organic compounds that can be useful for virtual screening, and the review itself is structured in accordance with coronavirus target proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Sulimov
- Dimonta Ltd., Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - I S Ilin
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - A S Tashchilova
- Dimonta Ltd., Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - O A Kondakova
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - D C Kutov
- Dimonta Ltd., Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - V B Sulimov
- Dimonta Ltd., Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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11
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Janin YL. On the origins of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2024; 15:81-118. [PMID: 38283212 PMCID: PMC10809347 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00493g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
In order to address the world-wide health challenge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 3CL protease/SARS-CoV-2 main protease (SARS-CoV-2-Mpro) coded by its nsp5 gene became one of the biochemical targets for the design of antiviral drugs. In less than 3 years of research, 4 inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2-Mpro have actually been authorized for COVID-19 treatment (nirmatrelvir, ensitrelvir, leritrelvir and simnotrelvir) and more such as EDP-235, FB-2001 and STI-1558/Olgotrelvir or five undisclosed compounds (CDI-988, ASC11, ALG-097558, QLS1128 and H-10517) are undergoing clinical trials. This review is an attempt to picture this quite unprecedented medicinal chemistry feat and provide insights on how these cysteine protease inhibitors were discovered. Since many series of covalent SARS-CoV-2-Mpro inhibitors owe some of their origins to previous work on other proteases, we first provided a description of various inhibitors of cysteine-bearing human caspase-1 or cathepsin K, as well as inhibitors of serine proteases such as human dipeptidyl peptidase-4 or the hepatitis C protein complex NS3/4A. This is then followed by a description of the results of the approaches adopted (repurposing, structure-based and high throughput screening) to discover coronavirus main protease inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves L Janin
- Structure et Instabilité des Génomes (StrInG), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, INSERM, CNRS, Alliance Sorbonne Université 75005 Paris France
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12
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Arutyunova E, Belovodskiy A, Chen P, Khan MB, Joyce M, Saffran H, Lu J, Turner Z, Bai B, Lamer T, Young HS, Vederas J, Tyrrell DL, Lemieux MJ, Nieman JA. The Effect of Deuteration and Homologation of the Lactam Ring of Nirmatrelvir on Its Biochemical Properties and Oxidative Metabolism. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2023; 3:528-541. [PMID: 38144257 PMCID: PMC10739250 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.3c00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
This study explores the relationship between structural alterations of nirmatrelvir, such as homologation and deuteration, and metabolic stability of newly synthesized derivatives. We developed a reliable synthetic protocol toward dideutero-nirmatrelvir and its homologated analogues with high isotopic incorporation. Deuteration of the primary metabolic site of nirmatrelvir provides a 3-fold improvement of its human microsomal stability but is accompanied by an increased metabolism rate at secondary sites. Homologation of the lactam ring allows the capping group modification to decrease and delocalize the molecule's lipophilicity, reducing the metabolic rate at secondary sites. The effect of deuteration was less pronounced for the 6-membered lactam than for its 5-membered analogue in human microsomes, but the trend is reversed in the case of mouse microsomes. X-ray data revealed that the homologation of the lactam ring favors the orientation of the drug's nitrile warhead for interaction with the catalytic sulfur of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, improving its binding. Comparable potency against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro from several variants of concern and selectivity over human cysteine proteases cathepsin B, L, and S was observed for the novel deuterated/homologated derivative and nirmatrelvir. Synthesized compounds displayed a large interspecies variability in hamster, rat, and human hepatocyte stability assays. Overall, we aimed to apply a rational approach in changing the physicochemical properties of the drug to refine its biochemical and biological parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Arutyunova
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Alexandr Belovodskiy
- Li Ka
Shing Applied Virology Institute, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Pu Chen
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | | | - Michael Joyce
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Holly Saffran
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Jimmy Lu
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Zoe Turner
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Bing Bai
- Li Ka
Shing Applied Virology Institute, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Tess Lamer
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Howard S. Young
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - John
C. Vederas
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - D. Lorne Tyrrell
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Li Ka
Shing Applied Virology Institute, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - M. Joanne Lemieux
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - James A. Nieman
- Li Ka
Shing Applied Virology Institute, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
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13
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Samrat SK, Bashir Q, Zhang R, Huang Y, Liu Y, Wu X, Brown T, Wang W, Zheng YG, Zhang QY, Chen Y, Li Z, Li H. A universal fluorescence polarization high throughput screening assay to target the SAM-binding sites of SARS-CoV-2 and other viral methyltransferases. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12:2204164. [PMID: 37060263 PMCID: PMC10165934 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2204164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic with significant humanity and economic loss since 2020. Currently, only limited options are available to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections for vulnerable populations. In this study, we report a universal fluorescence polarization (FP)-based high throughput screening (HTS) assay for SAM-dependent viral methyltransferases (MTases), using a fluorescent SAM-analogue, FL-NAH. We performed the assay against a reference MTase, NSP14, an essential enzyme for SARS-CoV-2 to methylate the N7 position of viral 5'-RNA guanine cap. The assay is universal and suitable for any SAM-dependent viral MTases such as the SARS-CoV-2 NSP16/NSP10 MTase complex and the NS5 MTase of Zika virus (ZIKV). Pilot screening demonstrated that the HTS assay was very robust and identified two candidate inhibitors, NSC 111552 and 288387. The two compounds inhibited the FL-NAH binding to the NSP14 MTase with low micromolar IC50. We used three functional MTase assays to unambiguously verified the inhibitory potency of these molecules for the NSP14 N7-MTase function. Binding studies indicated that these molecules are bound directly to the NSP14 MTase with similar low micromolar affinity. Moreover, we further demonstrated that these molecules significantly inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 replication in cell-based assays at concentrations not causing cytotoxicity. Furthermore, NSC111552 significantly synergized with known SARS-CoV-2 drugs including nirmatrelvir and remdesivir. Finally, docking suggested that these molecules bind specifically to the SAM-binding site on the NSP14 MTase. Overall, these molecules represent novel and promising candidates to further develop broad-spectrum inhibitors for the management of viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subodh Kumar Samrat
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Qamar Bashir
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Ran Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Yiding Huang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Yuchen Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Xiangmeng Wu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Tyler Brown
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Y. George Zheng
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Qing-Yu Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Yin Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Zhong Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Hongmin Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science & College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- The BIO5 Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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14
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Zhou K, Chen D. Conventional Understanding of SARS-CoV-2 M pro and Common Strategies for Developing Its Inhibitors. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300301. [PMID: 37577869 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a widespread influence on the world, especially in the face of sudden coronavirus infections, and there is still an urgent need for specific small molecule therapies to cope with possible future pandemics. The pathogen responsible for this pandemic is Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and understanding its structure and lifecycle is beneficial for designing specific drugs of treatment for COVID-19. The main protease (Mpro ) which has conservative and specific advantages is essential for viral replication and transcription. It is regarded as one of the most potential targets for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development. This review introduces the popular knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in drug development and lists a series of design principles and relevant activities of advanced Mpro inhibitors, hoping to provide some new directions and ideas for researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, RT 264005, P. R. China
| | - Daquan Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, RT 264005, P. R. China
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15
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Li X, Song Y. Structure and function of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main proteases and their inhibition: A comprehensive review. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 260:115772. [PMID: 37659195 PMCID: PMC10529944 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) identified in 2003 infected ∼8000 people in 26 countries with 800 deaths, which was soon contained and eradicated by syndromic surveillance and enhanced quarantine. A closely related coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 identified in 2019, has been dramatically more contagious and catastrophic. It has infected and caused various flu-like symptoms of billions of people in >200 countries, including >6 million people died of or with the virus. Despite the availability of several vaccines and antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2, finding new therapeutics is needed because of viral evolution and a possible emerging coronavirus in the future. The main protease (Mpro) of these coronaviruses plays important roles in their life cycle and is essential for the viral replication. This article represents a comprehensive review of the function, structure and inhibition of SARS-CoV and -CoV-2 Mpro, including structure-activity relationships, protein-inhibitor interactions and clinical trial status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Yongcheng Song
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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16
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Duan Y, Wang H, Yuan Z, Yang H. Structural biology of SARS-CoV-2 M pro and drug discovery. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 82:102667. [PMID: 37544112 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Since its outbreak in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn enormous attention worldwide as a consequence of being the most disastrous infectious disease in the past century. As one of the most immediately druggable targets of SARS-CoV-2, the main protease (Mpro) has been studied thoroughly. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of recent advances in structural studies of Mpro, which provide new knowledge about Mpro in terms of its biological function, structural characteristics, substrate specificity, and autocleavage process. We examine the remarkable strides made in targeting Mpro for drug discovery during the pandemic. We summarize insights into the current understanding of the structural features of Mpro and the discovery of existing Mpro-targeting drugs, illuminating pathways for the future development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinkai Duan
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Haofeng Wang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenghong Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Haitao Yang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, China.
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17
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Citarella A, Dimasi A, Moi D, Passarella D, Scala A, Piperno A, Micale N. Recent Advances in SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors: From Nirmatrelvir to Future Perspectives. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1339. [PMID: 37759739 PMCID: PMC10647625 DOI: 10.3390/biom13091339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) plays a pivotal role in the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is considered a highly conserved viral target. Disruption of the catalytic activity of Mpro produces a detrimental effect on the course of the infection, making this target one of the most attractive for the treatment of COVID-19. The current success of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor Nirmatrelvir, the first oral drug for the treatment of severe forms of COVID-19, has further focused the attention of researchers on this important viral target, making the search for new Mpro inhibitors a thriving and exciting field for the development of antiviral drugs active against SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Citarella
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy; (A.D.); (D.P.)
| | - Alessandro Dimasi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy; (A.D.); (D.P.)
| | - Davide Moi
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, S.P. 8 CA, 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
| | - Daniele Passarella
- Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy; (A.D.); (D.P.)
| | - Angela Scala
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy; (A.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Anna Piperno
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy; (A.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Nicola Micale
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy; (A.S.); (A.P.)
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18
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Geng ZZ, Atla S, Shaabani N, Vulupala V, Yang KS, Alugubelli YR, Khatua K, Chen PH, Xiao J, Blankenship LR, Ma XR, Vatansever EC, Cho CCD, Ma Y, Allen R, Ji H, Xu S, Liu WR. A Systematic Survey of Reversibly Covalent Dipeptidyl Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. J Med Chem 2023; 66:11040-11055. [PMID: 37561993 PMCID: PMC10861299 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 pathogen, relies on its main protease (MPro) for replication and pathogenesis. MPro is a demonstrated target for the development of antivirals for SARS-CoV-2. Past studies have systematically explored tripeptidyl inhibitors such as nirmatrelvir as MPro inhibitors. However, dipeptidyl inhibitors especially those with a spiro residue at their P2 position have not been systematically investigated. In this work, we synthesized about 30 dipeptidyl MPro inhibitors and characterized them on enzymatic inhibition potency, structures of their complexes with MPro, cellular MPro inhibition potency, antiviral potency, cytotoxicity, and in vitro metabolic stability. Our results indicated that MPro has a flexible S2 pocket to accommodate inhibitors with a large P2 residue and revealed that dipeptidyl inhibitors with a large P2 spiro residue such as (S)-2-azaspiro [4,4]nonane-3-carboxylate and (S)-2-azaspiro[4,5]decane-3-carboxylate have favorable characteristics. One compound, MPI60, containing a P2 (S)-2-azaspiro[4,4]nonane-3-carboxylate displayed high antiviral potency, low cellular cytotoxicity, and high in vitro metabolic stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Zachary Geng
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Sandeep Atla
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Namir Shaabani
- Sorrento
Therapeutics, Inc. San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Veerabhadra Vulupala
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Kai S. Yang
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Yugendar R. Alugubelli
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Kaustav Khatua
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Peng-Hsun Chen
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Jing Xiao
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Lauren R. Blankenship
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Xinyu R. Ma
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Erol C. Vatansever
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Chia-Chuan D. Cho
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Yuying Ma
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Robert Allen
- Sorrento
Therapeutics, Inc. San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Henry Ji
- Sorrento
Therapeutics, Inc. San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Shiqing Xu
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Wenshe Ray Liu
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Institute
of Biosciences and Technology and Department of Translational Medical
Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M
University, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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19
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Van Oers TJ, Piercey A, Belovodskiy A, Reiz B, Donnelly BL, Vuong W, Lemieux MJ, Nieman JA, Auclair K, Vederas JC. Deuteration for Metabolic Stabilization of SARS-CoV-2 Inhibitors GC373 and Nirmatrelvir. Org Lett 2023; 25:5885-5889. [PMID: 37523471 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c02140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Nirmatrelvir and GC373 inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease and hinder viral replication in COVID-19. As nirmatrelvir in Paxlovid is oxidized by cytochrome P450 3A4, ritonavir is coadministered to block this. However, ritonavir undesirably alters the metabolism of other drugs. Hydrogens can be replaced with deuterium in nirmatrelvir and GC373 to slow oxidation. Results show that deuterium slows oxidation of nirmatrelvir adjacent to nitrogen by ∼40% and that the type of warhead can switch the site of oxidative metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayla J Van Oers
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Alexia Piercey
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Alexandr Belovodskiy
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Béla Reiz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Bethan L Donnelly
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Wayne Vuong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - M Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - James A Nieman
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Karine Auclair
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - John C Vederas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
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20
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Fink EA, Bardine C, Gahbauer S, Singh I, Detomasi TC, White K, Gu S, Wan X, Chen J, Ary B, Glenn I, O'Connell J, O'Donnell H, Fajtová P, Lyu J, Vigneron S, Young NJ, Kondratov IS, Alisoltani A, Simons LM, Lorenzo‐Redondo R, Ozer EA, Hultquist JF, O'Donoghue AJ, Moroz YS, Taunton J, Renslo AR, Irwin JJ, García‐Sastre A, Shoichet BK, Craik CS. Large library docking for novel SARS-CoV-2 main protease non-covalent and covalent inhibitors. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4712. [PMID: 37354015 PMCID: PMC10364469 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Antiviral therapeutics to treat SARS-CoV-2 are needed to diminish the morbidity of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A well-precedented drug target is the main viral protease (MPro ), which is targeted by an approved drug and by several investigational drugs. Emerging viral resistance has made new inhibitor chemotypes more pressing. Adopting a structure-based approach, we docked 1.2 billion non-covalent lead-like molecules and a new library of 6.5 million electrophiles against the enzyme structure. From these, 29 non-covalent and 11 covalent inhibitors were identified in 37 series, the most potent having an IC50 of 29 and 20 μM, respectively. Several series were optimized, resulting in low micromolar inhibitors. Subsequent crystallography confirmed the docking predicted binding modes and may template further optimization. While the new chemotypes may aid further optimization of MPro inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2, the modest success rate also reveals weaknesses in our approach for challenging targets like MPro versus other targets where it has been more successful, and versus other structure-based techniques against MPro itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa A. Fink
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Graduate Program in BiophysicsUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Conner Bardine
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Graduate Program in Chemistry and Chemical BiologyUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Stefan Gahbauer
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Isha Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Tyler C. Detomasi
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kris White
- Department of MicrobiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Global Health and Emerging Pathogens InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Shuo Gu
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Xiaobo Wan
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jun Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Beatrice Ary
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Isabella Glenn
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Joseph O'Connell
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Henry O'Donnell
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Pavla Fajtová
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of California‐San DiegoSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jiankun Lyu
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Seth Vigneron
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Nicholas J. Young
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ivan S. Kondratov
- Enamine Ltd.KyïvUkraine
- V.P. Kukhar Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and PetrochemistryNational Academy of Sciences of UkraineKyïvUkraine
| | - Arghavan Alisoltani
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution, Feinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Lacy M. Simons
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution, Feinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Ramon Lorenzo‐Redondo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution, Feinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Egon A. Ozer
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution, Feinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Judd F. Hultquist
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution, Feinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Anthony J. O'Donoghue
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of California‐San DiegoSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Yurii S. Moroz
- National Taras Shevchenko University of KyïvKyïvUkraine
- Chemspace LLCKyïvUkraine
| | - Jack Taunton
- Department of Cellular and Molecular PharmacologyUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Adam R. Renslo
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - John J. Irwin
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Adolfo García‐Sastre
- Department of MicrobiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Global Health and Emerging Pathogens InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious DiseasesIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell‐Based MedicineIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- QBI COVID‐19 Research Group (QCRG)San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Brian K. Shoichet
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- QBI COVID‐19 Research Group (QCRG)San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Charles S. Craik
- Department of Pharmaceutical ChemistryUniversity of California‐San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- QBI COVID‐19 Research Group (QCRG)San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
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21
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Gao M, Kang D, Liu N, Liu Y. In Silico Discovery of Small-Molecule Inhibitors Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. Molecules 2023; 28:5320. [PMID: 37513194 PMCID: PMC10383128 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28145320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe health threat globally, and novel SARS-Cov-2 inhibitors are urgently needed for antiviral treatment. The main protease (Mpro) of the virus is one of the most effective and conserved targets for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development. In this study, we utilized a molecular docking-based virtual screening approach against the conserved catalytic site to identify small-molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Further biological evaluation helped us identify two compounds, AF-399/40713777 and AI-942/42301830, with moderate inhibitory activity. Besides that, the in silico data, including molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, binding free energy calculations, and AMDET profiles, suggested that these two hits could serve as the starting point for the future development of COVID-19 intervention treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menghan Gao
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 6699 Qingdao Road, Jinan 250117, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Drugs, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 6699 Qingdao Road, Jinan 250117, China
- Key Lab for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, 6699 Qingdao Road, Jinan 250117, China
| | - Dongwei Kang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 West Culture Road, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 West Culture Road, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Yanna Liu
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 6699 Qingdao Road, Jinan 250117, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Drugs, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 6699 Qingdao Road, Jinan 250117, China
- Key Lab for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, 6699 Qingdao Road, Jinan 250117, China
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22
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Yang H, You M, Shu X, Zhen J, Zhu M, Fu T, Zhang Y, Jiang X, Zhang L, Xu Y, Zhang Y, Su H, Zhang Q, Shen J. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of peptidomimetic benzothiazolyl ketones as 3CL pro inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 257:115512. [PMID: 37253309 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
A series of peptidomimetic compounds containing benzothiazolyl ketone and [2.2.1] azabicyclic ring was designed, synthesized and evaluated in the hope of obtaining potent oral 3CLpro inhibitors with improved pharmacokinetic properties. Among the target compounds, 11b had the best enzymatic potency (IC50 = 0.110 μM) and 11e had the best microsomal stability (t1/2 > 120 min) and good enzyme activity (IC50 = 0.868 μM). Therefore, compounds 11b and 11e were chosen for further evaluation of pharmacokinetics in ICR mice. The results exhibited that the AUC(0-t) of 11e was 5143 h*ng/mL following single-dose oral administration of 20 mg/kg, and the F was 67.98%. Further structural modification was made to obtain compounds 11g-11j based on 11e. Among them, 11j exhibited the best enzyme inhibition activity against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro (IC50 = 1.646 μM), the AUC(0-t) was 32473 h*ng/mL (20 mg/kg, po), and the F was 48.1%. In addition, 11j displayed significant anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity (EC50 = 0.18 μM) and low cytotoxicity (CC50 > 50 μM) in Vero E6 cells. All of the above results suggested that compound 11j was a promising lead compound in the development of oral 3CLpro inhibitors and deserved further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanxi Yang
- College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexuedadao Road, Zhengzhou, 450001, China; State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Mengyuan You
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xiaoyang Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China
| | - Jingyao Zhen
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Mengwei Zhu
- College of Pharmacy, An Hui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China; Yangtze Delta Drug Advanced Research Institute and Yangtze Delta Pharmaceutical College, Nantong, 226133, China
| | - Tiantian Fu
- College of Pharmacy, An Hui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China; Yangtze Delta Drug Advanced Research Institute and Yangtze Delta Pharmaceutical College, Nantong, 226133, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Xiangrui Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China; Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, 430200, China
| | - Yechun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China; School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yumin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China.
| | - Haixia Su
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Qiumeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Jingshan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
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23
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Yan Y, Li J, Jiao Z, Yang M, Li L, Wang G, Chen Y, Li M, Shen Z, Shi Y, Peng G. Better therapeutic effect of oral administration of GS441524 compared with GC376. Vet Microbiol 2023; 283:109781. [PMID: 37269714 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2023.109781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
FIP is a fatal feline disease caused by FIPV. Two drugs (GS441524 and GC376) target FIPV and have good therapeutic effect when administered by subcutaneous injection. However, subcutaneous injection has limitations compared with oral administration. Additionally, the oral efficacy of the two drugs has not been determined. Here, GS441524 and GC376 were shown to efficiently inhibit FIPV-rQS79 (recombination virus with a full-length field type I FIPV and the spike gene replaced with type II FIPV) and FIPV II (commercially available type II FIPV 79-1146) at a noncytotoxic concentration in CRFK cells. Moreover, the effective oral dose was determined via the in vivo pharmacokinetics of GS441524 and GC376. We conducted animal trials in three dosing groups and found that while GS441524 can effectively reducing the mortality of FIP subjects at a range of doses, GC376 only reducing the mortality rate at high doses. Additionally, compared with GC376, oral GS441524 has better absorption, slower clearance and a slower rate of metabolism. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the oral and subcutaneous pharmacokinetic parameters. Collectively, our study is the first to evaluate the efficacy of oral GS441524 and GC376 using a relevant animal model. We also verified the reliability of oral GS441524 and the potential of oral GC376 as a reference for rational clinical drug use. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetic data provide insights into and potential directions for the optimization of these drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Jia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhe Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengfang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Lisha Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Gang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Yixi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhou Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuejun Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Guiqing Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China.
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24
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Pang X, Xu W, Liu Y, Li H, Chen L. The research progress of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors from 2020 to 2022. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 257:115491. [PMID: 37244162 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide. The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a central role in viral replication and transcription and represents an attractive drug target for fighting COVID-19. Many SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors have been reported, including covalent and noncovalent inhibitors. The SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor PF-07321332 (Nirmatrelvir) designed by Pfizer has been put on the market. This paper briefly introduces the structural characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and summarizes the research progress of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors from the aspects of drug repurposing and drug design. These information will provide a basis for the drug development of treating the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and even other coronaviruses in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Pang
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Institute of Structural Pharmacology & TCM Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Hua Li
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China; Institute of Structural Pharmacology & TCM Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China.
| | - Lixia Chen
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
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25
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Ng R, Zhang G, Li JJ. An update on the discovery and development of reversible covalent inhibitors. Med Chem Res 2023; 32:1039-1062. [PMID: 37305209 PMCID: PMC10148018 DOI: 10.1007/s00044-023-03065-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Small molecule drugs that covalently bind irreversibly to their target proteins have several advantages over conventional reversible inhibitors. They include increased duration of action, less-frequent drug dosing, reduced pharmacokinetic sensitivity, and the potential to target intractable shallow binding sites. Despite these advantages, the key challenges of irreversible covalent drugs are their potential for off-target toxicities and immunogenicity risks. Incorporating reversibility into covalent drugs would lead to less off-target toxicity by forming reversible adducts with off-target proteins and thus reducing the risk of idiosyncratic toxicities caused by the permanent modification of proteins, which leads to higher levels of potential haptens. Herein, we systematically review electrophilic warheads employed during the development of reversible covalent drugs. We hope the structural insights of electrophilic warheads would provide helpful information to medicinal chemists and aid in designing covalent drugs with better on-target selectivity and improved safety. Graphical Abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond Ng
- Olema Oncology, 512 2nd St., 4th Floor, San Francisco, 94107 CA USA
| | - Guiping Zhang
- Genhouse Bio, No.1 Xinze Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123 PR China
| | - Jie Jack Li
- Genhouse Bio, No.1 Xinze Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123 PR China
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26
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Chen S, Arutyunova E, Lu J, Khan MB, Rut W, Zmudzinski M, Shahbaz S, Iyyathurai J, Moussa EW, Turner Z, Bai B, Lamer T, Nieman JA, Vederas JC, Julien O, Drag M, Elahi S, Young HS, Lemieux MJ. SARS-CoV-2 M pro Protease Variants of Concern Display Altered Viral Substrate and Cell Host Target Galectin-8 Processing but Retain Sensitivity toward Antivirals. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2023; 9:696-708. [PMID: 37122453 PMCID: PMC10042146 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The main protease of SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro) is the most promising drug target against coronaviruses due to its essential role in virus replication. With newly emerging variants there is a concern that mutations in Mpro may alter the structural and functional properties of protease and subsequently the potency of existing and potential antivirals. We explored the effect of 31 mutations belonging to 5 variants of concern (VOCs) on catalytic parameters and substrate specificity, which revealed changes in substrate binding and the rate of cleavage of a viral peptide. Crystal structures of 11 Mpro mutants provided structural insight into their altered functionality. Additionally, we show Mpro mutations influence proteolysis of an immunomodulatory host protein Galectin-8 (Gal-8) and a subsequent significant decrease in cytokine secretion, providing evidence for alterations in the escape of host-antiviral mechanisms. Accordingly, mutations associated with the Gamma VOC and highly virulent Delta VOC resulted in a significant increase in Gal-8 cleavage. Importantly, IC50s of nirmatrelvir (Pfizer) and our irreversible inhibitor AVI-8053 demonstrated no changes in potency for both drugs for all mutants, suggesting Mpro will remain a high-priority antiviral drug candidate as SARS-CoV-2 evolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sizhu
Amelia Chen
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Elena Arutyunova
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Jimmy Lu
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Muhammad Bashir Khan
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Wioletta Rut
- Department
of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw
University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, 50-370, Poland
| | - Mikolaj Zmudzinski
- Department
of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw
University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, 50-370, Poland
| | - Shima Shahbaz
- Department
of Dentistry & Dental Hygiene, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Jegan Iyyathurai
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Eman W. Moussa
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Zoe Turner
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Bing Bai
- Li
Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Tess Lamer
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - James A. Nieman
- Li
Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department
of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - John C. Vederas
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Olivier Julien
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Marcin Drag
- Department
of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw
University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, 50-370, Poland
| | - Shokrollah Elahi
- Department
of Dentistry & Dental Hygiene, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Howard S. Young
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - M. Joanne Lemieux
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
- Li
Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
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27
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Khatua K, Alugubelli YR, Yang KS, Vulupala VR, Blankenship LR, Coleman DD, Atla S, Chaki SP, Geng ZZ, Ma XR, Xiao J, Chen PHC, Cho CCD, Vatansever EC, Ma Y, Yu G, Neuman BW, Xu S, Liu WR. An Azapeptide Platform in Conjunction with Covalent Warheads to Uncover High-Potency Inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.11.536467. [PMID: 37090597 PMCID: PMC10120698 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.11.536467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Main protease (M Pro ) of SARS-CoV-2, the viral pathogen of COVID-19, is a crucial nonstructural protein that plays a vital role in the replication and pathogenesis of the virus. Its protease function relies on three active site pockets to recognize P1, P2, and P4 amino acid residues in a substrate and a catalytic cysteine residue for catalysis. By converting the P1 Cα atom in an M Pro substrate to nitrogen, we showed that a large variety of azapeptide inhibitors with covalent warheads targeting the M Pro catalytic cysteine could be easily synthesized. Through the characterization of these inhibitors, we identified several highly potent M Pro inhibitors. Specifically, one inhibitor, MPI89 that contained an aza-2,2-dichloroacetyl warhead, displayed a 10 nM EC 50 value in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 from infecting ACE2 + A549 cells and a selectivity index of 875. The crystallography analyses of M Pro bound with 6 inhibitors, including MPI89, revealed that inhibitors used their covalent warheads to covalently engage the catalytic cysteine and the aza-amide carbonyl oxygen to bind to the oxyanion hole. MPI89 represents one of the most potent M Pro inhibitors developed so far, suggesting that further exploration of the azapeptide platform and the aza-2,2-dichloroacetyl warhead is needed for the development of potent inhibitors for the SARS-CoV-2 M Pro as therapeutics for COVID-19.
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28
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Abdelrady YA, Ashraf NM, Hamid A, Thabet HS, Sayed AM, Salem SH, Hassanein EHM, Sayed AM. In silico assessment of diterpenes as potential inhibitors of SARS-COV-2 main protease. Future Virol 2023; 18:295-308. [PMID: 38052000 PMCID: PMC10207350 DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2022-0163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Aim We aimed to investigate the potential inhibitory effects of diterpenes on SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). Materials & methods We performed a virtual screening of diterpenoids against Mpro using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) analysis. Results Some tested compounds followed Lipinski's rule and showed drug-like properties. Some diterpenoids possessed remarkable binding affinities with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and drug-like pharmacokinetic properties. Three derivatives exhibited structural deviations lower than 1 Å. Conclusion The findings of the study suggest that some of the diterpenes could be candidates as potential inhibitors for Mpro of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Naeem Mahmood Ashraf
- School of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Arslan Hamid
- LIMES Institute (AG-Netea), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hayam S Thabet
- Microbiology department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, 71526, Egypt
| | - Asmaa M Sayed
- Botany & Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Egypt
| | - Shimaa H Salem
- Botany & Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Egypt
| | - Emad HM Hassanein
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, Assiut, 71524, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Sayed
- Biochemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, 71516, Egypt
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29
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Identification of medicinal plant-based phytochemicals as a potential inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M pro) using molecular docking and deep learning methods. Comput Biol Med 2023; 157:106785. [PMID: 36931201 PMCID: PMC10008098 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Highly transmissive and rapidly evolving Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), a viral disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), triggered a global pandemic, which is one of the most researched viruses in the academia. Effective drugs to treat people with COVID-19 have yet to be developed to reduce mortality and transmission. Studies on the SARS-CoV-2 virus identified that its main protease (Mpro) might be a potential therapeutic target for drug development, as this enzyme plays a key role in viral replication. In search of potential inhibitors of Mpro, we developed a phytochemical library consisting of 2431 phytochemicals from 104 Korean medicinal plants that exhibited medicinal and antioxidant properties. The library was screened by molecular docking, followed by revalidation by re-screening with a deep learning method. Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) computing system was used to develop an inhibitory predictive model using SARS coronavirus Mpro dataset. It was deployed to screen the top 12 compounds based on their docked binding affinity that ranged from -8.0 to -8.9 kcal/mol. The top two lead compounds, Catechin gallate and Quercetin 3-O-malonylglucoside, were selected depending on inhibitory potency against Mpro. Interactions with the target protein active sites, including His41, Met49, Cys145, Met165, and Thr190 were also examined. Molecular dynamics simulation was performed to analyze root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (RG), solvent accessible surface area (SASA), and number of hydrogen bonds. Results confirmed the inflexible nature of the docked complexes. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET), as well as bioactivity prediction confirmed the pharmaceutical activities of the lead compound. Findings of this research might help scientists to optimize compatible drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
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30
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Zhang W, Lin SX. Search of Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors for the Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020580. [PMID: 36851795 PMCID: PMC9967108 DOI: 10.3390/v15020580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has prompted the necessity of efficient treatment strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Main protease (Mpro), also called 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL protease), plays an essential role in cleaving virus polyproteins for the functional replication complex. Therefore, Mpro is a promising drug target for COVID-19 therapy. Through molecular modelling, docking and a protease activity assay, we found four novel inhibitors targeting Mpro with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) and their binding affinities shown by the dissociation constants (KDs). Our new inhibitors CB-21, CB-25, CP-1 and LC24-20 have IC50s at 14.88 µM (95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): 10.35 µM to 20.48 µM), 22.74 µM (95% CI: 13.01 µM to 38.16 µM), 18.54µM (95% CI: 6.54 µM to 36.30 µM) and 32.87µM (95% CI: 18.37 µM to 54.80 µM)), respectively. The evaluation of interactions suggested that each inhibitor has a hydrogen bond or hydrophobic interactions with important residues, including the most essential catalytic residues: His41 and Cys145. All the four inhibitors have a much higher 50% lethal dose (LD50) compared with the well-known Mpro inhibitor GC376, demonstrating its low toxicity. These four inhibitors can be potential drug candidates for further in vitro and in vivo studies against COVID-19.
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31
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Chen R, Gao Y, Liu H, Li H, Chen W, Ma J. Advances in research on 3C-like protease (3CL pro) inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 since 2020. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:9-21. [PMID: 36760740 PMCID: PMC9890616 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00344a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019 is still threatening global human health. Although some vaccines and drugs are available in the market, controlling the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains a huge challenge. 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is a highly conserved key protease for SARS-CoV-2 replication, and no relevant homologous protein with a similar cleavage site to 3CLpro has been identified in humans, highlighting that development of 3CLpro inhibitors exhibits great promise for treatment of COVID-19. In this review, the authors describe the structure and function of 3CLpro. To better understand the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors, the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors reported since 2020 are classified into peptidomimetic covalent inhibitors, non-peptidomimetic covalent inhibitors and non-covalent small molecule inhibitors, and the representative inhibitors, their biological activities and binding models are highlighted. Collectively, we hope that all the information presented here will provide new insights into the design and development of more effective 3CLpro inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 as novel anti-coronavirus drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roufen Chen
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Yali Gao
- Pharmacy Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Han Liu
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - He Li
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Wenfa Chen
- Pharmacy Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University Quanzhou 362000 China
| | - Junjie Ma
- School of Medicine, Huaqiao University Quanzhou 362000 China
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32
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Lan S, Neilsen G, Slack RL, Cantara WA, Castaner AE, Lorson ZC, Lulkin N, Zhang H, Lee J, Cilento ME, Tedbury PR, Sarafianos SG. Nirmatrelvir Resistance in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron_BA.1 and WA1 Replicons and Escape Strategies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2022.12.31.522389. [PMID: 36656782 PMCID: PMC9844013 DOI: 10.1101/2022.12.31.522389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The antiviral component of Paxlovid, nirmatrelvir (NIR), forms a covalent bond with Cys145 of SARS-CoV-2 nsp5. To explore NIR resistance we designed mutations to impair binding of NIR over substrate. Using 12 Omicron (BA.1) and WA.1 SARS-CoV-2 replicons, cell-based complementation and enzymatic assays, we showed that in both strains, E166V imparted high NIR resistance (∼55-fold), with major decrease in WA1 replicon fitness (∼20-fold), but not BA.1 (∼2-fold). WA1 replicon fitness was restored by L50F. These differences may contribute to a potentially lower barrier to resistance in Omicron than WA1. E166V is rare in untreated patients, albeit more prevalent in paxlovid-treated EPIC-HR clinical trial patients. Importantly, NIR-resistant replicons with E166V or E166V/L50F remained susceptible to a) the flexible GC376, and b) PF-00835231, which forms additional interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations show steric clashes between the rigid and bulky NIR t-butyl and β-branched V166 distancing the NIR warhead from its Cys145 target. In contrast, GC376, through "wiggling and jiggling" accommodates V166 and still covalently binds Cys145. PF-00835231 uses its strategically positioned methoxy-indole to form a β-sheet and overcome E166V. Drug design based on strategic flexibility and main chain-targeting may help develop second-generation nsp5-targeting antivirals efficient against NIR-resistant viruses.
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33
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Klacsová M, Čelková A, Búcsi A, Martínez JC, Uhríková D. Interaction of GC376, a SARS-COV-2 M PRO inhibitor, with model lipid membranes. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2022; 220. [PMCID: PMC9557139 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.112918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Partitioning and effect of antiviral GC376, a potential SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor, on model lipid membranes was studied using dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV–VIS spectrometry, Excimer fluorescence, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Small- and Wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS). Partition coefficient of GC376 between lipid and water phase was found to be low, reaching KP = 46.8 ± 18.2. Results suggest that GC376 partitions into lipid bilayers at the level of lipid head-groups, close to the polar/hydrophobic interface. Changes in structural and thermodynamic properties strongly depend on the GC376/lipid mole ratio. Already at lowest mole ratios GC376 induces increase of lateral pressures, mainly in the interfacial region of the bilayer. Hereby, the pre- and main-transition temperature of the lipid system increases, what is attributed to tighter packing of acyl chains induced by GC376. At GC376/DPPC ≥ 0.03 mol/mol we detected formation of domains with different GC376 content resulting in the lateral phase separation and changes in both, main transition temperature and enthalpy. The observed changes are attributed to the response of the system on the increased lateral stresses induced by partitioning of GC376. Obtained results are discussed in context of liposome-based drug delivery systems for GC376 and in context of indirect mechanism of virus replication inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mária Klacsová
- Department of Physical Chemistry of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia,Corresponding author
| | - Adriána Čelková
- Department of Physical Chemistry of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Alexander Búcsi
- Department of Physical Chemistry of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | - Daniela Uhríková
- Department of Physical Chemistry of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia
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34
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La Monica G, Bono A, Lauria A, Martorana A. Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease for Treatment of COVID-19: Covalent Inhibitors Structure-Activity Relationship Insights and Evolution Perspectives. J Med Chem 2022; 65:12500-12534. [PMID: 36169610 PMCID: PMC9528073 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The viral main protease is one of the most attractive targets among all key enzymes involved in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. Covalent inhibition of the cysteine145 of SARS-CoV-2 MPRO with selective antiviral drugs will arrest the replication process of the virus without affecting human catalytic pathways. In this Perspective, we analyzed the in silico, in vitro, and in vivo data of the most representative examples of covalent SARS-CoV-2 MPRO inhibitors reported in the literature to date. In particular, the studied molecules were classified into eight different categories according to their reactive electrophilic warheads, highlighting the differences between their reversible/irreversible mechanism of inhibition. Furthermore, the analyses of the most recurrent pharmacophoric moieties and stereochemistry of chiral carbons were reported. The analyses of noncovalent and covalent in silico protocols, provided in this Perspective, would be useful for the scientific community to discover new and more efficient covalent SARS-CoV-2 MPRO inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Antonino Lauria
- Dipartimento di Scienze e
Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 17, I-90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Annamaria Martorana
- Dipartimento di Scienze e
Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 17, I-90128 Palermo, Italy
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35
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Alugubelli YR, Geng ZZ, Yang KS, Shaabani N, Khatua K, Ma XR, Vatansever EC, Cho CC, Ma Y, Xiao J, Blankenship LR, Yu G, Sankaran B, Li P, Allen R, Ji H, Xu S, Liu WR. A systematic exploration of boceprevir-based main protease inhibitors as SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 240:114596. [PMID: 35839690 PMCID: PMC9264725 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Boceprevir is an HCV NSP3 inhibitor that was explored as a repurposed drug for COVID-19. It inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro) and contains an α-ketoamide warhead, a P1 β-cyclobutylalanyl moiety, a P2 dimethylcyclopropylproline, a P3 tert-butylglycine, and a P4 N-terminal tert-butylcarbamide. By introducing modifications at all four positions, we synthesized 20 boceprevir-based MPro inhibitors including PF-07321332 and characterized their MPro inhibition potency in test tubes (in vitro) and 293T cells (in cellulo). Crystal structures of MPro bound with 10 inhibitors and cytotoxicity and antiviral potency of 4 inhibitors were characterized as well. Replacing the P1 site with a β-(S-2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl)-alanyl (Opal) residue and the warhead with an aldehyde leads to high in vitro potency. The original moieties at P2, P3 and the P4 N-terminal cap positions in boceprevir are better than other tested chemical moieties for high in vitro potency. In crystal structures, all inhibitors form a covalent adduct with the MPro active site cysteine. The P1 Opal residue, P2 dimethylcyclopropylproline and P4 N-terminal tert-butylcarbamide make strong hydrophobic interactions with MPro, explaining high in vitro potency of inhibitors that contain these moieties. A unique observation was made with an inhibitor that contains a P4 N-terminal isovaleramide. In its MPro complex structure, the P4 N-terminal isovaleramide is tucked deep in a small pocket of MPro that originally recognizes a P4 alanine side chain in a substrate. Although all inhibitors show high in vitro potency, they have drastically different in cellulo potency to inhibit ectopically expressed MPro in human 293T cells. In general, inhibitors with a P4 N-terminal carbamide or amide have low in cellulo potency. This trend is reversed when the P4 N-terminal cap is changed to a carbamate. The installation of a P3 O-tert-butyl-threonine improves in cellulo potency. Three molecules that contain a P4 N-terminal carbamate were advanced to cytotoxicity tests on 293T cells and antiviral potency tests on three SARS-CoV-2 variants. They all have relatively low cytotoxicity and high antiviral potency with EC50 values around 1 μM. A control compound with a nitrile warhead and a P4 N-terminal amide has undetectable antiviral potency. Based on all observations, we conclude that a P4 N-terminal carbamate in a boceprevir derivative is key for high antiviral potency against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yugendar R Alugubelli
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Zhi Zachary Geng
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Kai S Yang
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | | | - Kaustav Khatua
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Xinyu R Ma
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Erol C Vatansever
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Chia-Chuan Cho
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yuying Ma
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jing Xiao
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Lauren R Blankenship
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Ge Yu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Banumathi Sankaran
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Laurence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Pingwei Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Robert Allen
- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Henry Ji
- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. San Diego, CA, 92121, USA.
| | - Shiqing Xu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Wenshe Ray Liu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Institute of Biosciences and Technology and Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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36
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Ghosh AK, Mishevich JL, Mesecar A, Mitsuya H. Recent Drug Development and Medicinal Chemistry Approaches for the Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200440. [PMID: 36165855 PMCID: PMC9538661 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, continues to be a major public health crisis around the globe. Development of vaccines and the first cluster of antiviral drugs has brought promise and hope for prevention and treatment of severe coronavirus disease. However, continued development of newer, safer, and more effective antiviral drugs are critically important to combat COVID-19 and counter the looming pathogenic variants. Studies of the coronavirus life cycle revealed several important biochemical targets for drug development. In the present review, we focus on recent drug design and medicinal chemistry efforts in small molecule drug discovery, including the development of nirmatrelvir that targets viral protein synthesis and remdesivir and molnupiravir that target viral RdRp. These are recent FDA approved drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun K Ghosh
- Purdue UniversityDepartments of Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry560 Oval Drive47907West LafayetteUNITED STATES
| | | | - Andrew Mesecar
- Purdue University College of ScienceBiochemistryUNITED STATES
| | - Hiroaki Mitsuya
- National Cancer InstituteHIV and AIDS Malignancy BranchUNITED STATES
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37
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Sulimov A, Ilin I, Kutov D, Shikhaliev K, Shcherbakov D, Pyankov O, Stolpovskaya N, Medvedeva S, Sulimov V. New Chemicals Suppressing SARS-CoV-2 Replication in Cell Culture. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27175732. [PMID: 36080498 PMCID: PMC9457583 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Candidates to being inhibitors of the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 were selected from the database of Voronezh State University using molecular modeling. The database contained approximately 19,000 compounds represented by more than 41,000 ligand conformers. These ligands were docked into Mpro using the SOL docking program. For one thousand ligands with best values of the SOL score, the protein–ligand binding enthalpy was calculated by the PM7 quantum-chemical method with the COSMO solvent model. Using the SOL score and the calculated protein–ligand binding enthalpies, eighteen compounds were selected for the experiments. Several of these inhibitors suppressed the replication of the coronavirus in cell culture, and we used the best three among them in the search for chemical analogs. Selection among analogs using the same procedure followed by experiments led to identification of seven inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 replication in cell culture with EC50 values at the micromolar level. The identified inhibitors belong to three chemical classes. The three inhibitors, 4,4-dimethyldithioquinoline derivatives, inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero E6 cell culture just as effectively as the best published non-covalent inhibitors, and show low cytotoxicity. These results open up a possibility to develop antiviral drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Sulimov
- Dimonta Ltd., 15 Nagornaya Str., Bldg 8, 117186 Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, Building 4, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan Ilin
- Dimonta Ltd., 15 Nagornaya Str., Bldg 8, 117186 Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, Building 4, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Danil Kutov
- Dimonta Ltd., 15 Nagornaya Str., Bldg 8, 117186 Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, Building 4, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (D.K.); (V.S.)
| | - Khidmet Shikhaliev
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Voronezh State University, 1 Universitetskaya Sq., 394018 Voronezh, Russia
| | - Dmitriy Shcherbakov
- State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”, 630559 Koltsovo, Russia
| | - Oleg Pyankov
- State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”, 630559 Koltsovo, Russia
| | - Nadezhda Stolpovskaya
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Voronezh State University, 1 Universitetskaya Sq., 394018 Voronezh, Russia
| | - Svetlana Medvedeva
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Voronezh State University, 1 Universitetskaya Sq., 394018 Voronezh, Russia
| | - Vladimir Sulimov
- Dimonta Ltd., 15 Nagornaya Str., Bldg 8, 117186 Moscow, Russia
- Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, Building 4, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (D.K.); (V.S.)
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38
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Wang H, Pei R, Li X, Deng W, Xing S, Zhang Y, Zhang C, He S, Sun H, Xiao S, Xiong J, Zhang Y, Chen X, Wang Y, Guo Y, Zhang B, Shang L. The structure-based design of peptidomimetic inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 3C like protease as Potent anti-viral drug candidate. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 238:114458. [PMID: 35635946 PMCID: PMC9098890 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as the pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has infected millions of people and took hundreds of thousands of lives. Unfortunately, there is deficiency of effective medicines to prevent or treat COVID-19. 3C like protease (3CLPro) of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to the viral replication and transcription, and is an attractive target to develop anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Targeting on the 3CLPro, we screened our protease inhibitor library and obtained compound 10a as hit to weakly inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro, and determined the co-crystal structure of 10a and the protease. Based on the deep understanding on the protein-ligand complexes between the hit and SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro, we designed a series of peptidomimetic inhibitors, with outstanding inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro and excellent anti-viral potency against SARS-CoV-2. The protein-ligand complexes of the other key inhibitors with SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro were explicitly described by the X-ray co-crystal study. All such results suggest these peptidomimetic inhibitors could be further applied as encouraging drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, KLMDASR of Tianjin and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongjuan Pei
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Li
- College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China
| | - Weilong Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, KLMDASR of Tianjin and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, KLMDASR of Tianjin and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, KLMDASR of Tianjin and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai He
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, KLMDASR of Tianjin and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuqi Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China
| | - Yecheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinwen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaxin Wang
- School of Life Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300110, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Guo
- College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China,Corresponding author
| | - Bo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People's Republic of China,Corresponding author
| | - Luqing Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, KLMDASR of Tianjin and Drug Discovery Center for Infectious Disease, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300353, People's Republic of China,Corresponding author
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39
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Pillaiyar T, Flury P, Krüger N, Su H, Schäkel L, Barbosa Da Silva E, Eppler O, Kronenberger T, Nie T, Luedtke S, Rocha C, Sylvester K, Petry MR, McKerrow JH, Poso A, Pöhlmann S, Gütschow M, O’Donoghue AJ, Xu Y, Müller CE, Laufer SA. Small-Molecule Thioesters as SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors: Enzyme Inhibition, Structure-Activity Relationships, Antiviral Activity, and X-ray Structure Determination. J Med Chem 2022; 65:9376-9395. [PMID: 35709506 PMCID: PMC9216242 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro, 3CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is an attractive target in coronaviruses because of its crucial involvement in viral replication and transcription. Here, we report on the design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of novel small-molecule thioesters as SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. Compounds 3w and 3x exhibited excellent SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibition with kinac/Ki of 58,700 M-1 s-1 (Ki = 0.0141 μM) and 27,200 M-1 s-1 (Ki = 0.0332 μM), respectively. In Calu-3 and Vero76 cells, compounds 3h, 3i, 3l, 3r, 3v, 3w, and 3x displayed antiviral activity in the nanomolar range without host cell toxicity. Co-crystallization of 3w and 3af with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro was accomplished, and the X-ray structures showed covalent binding with the catalytic Cys145 residue of the protease. The potent SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors also inhibited the Mpro of other beta-coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV, indicating that they might be useful to treat a broader range of coronaviral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanigaimalai Pillaiyar
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal
Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls
University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) “Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed
Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen,
Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Philipp Flury
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal
Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls
University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) “Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed
Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen,
Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Nadine Krüger
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate
Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Göttingen,
Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Haixia Su
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, and Stake Key
Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Laura Schäkel
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute,
Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn,
An der Immenburg 4, Bonn D-53121, Germany
| | - Elany Barbosa Da Silva
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92093, United States
| | - Olga Eppler
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal
Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls
University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) “Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed
Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen,
Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal
Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls
University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) “Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed
Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen,
Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Tianqing Nie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, and Stake Key
Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Stephanie Luedtke
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92093, United States
| | - Cheila Rocha
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate
Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Göttingen,
Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Katharina Sylvester
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute,
Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn,
An der Immenburg 4, Bonn D-53121, Germany
| | - Marvin R.I. Petry
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute,
Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn,
An der Immenburg 4, Bonn D-53121, Germany
| | - James H. McKerrow
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92093, United States
| | - Antti Poso
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal
Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls
University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) “Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed
Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen,
Tübingen 72076, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio 70211,
Finland
| | - Stefan Pöhlmann
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate
Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Göttingen,
Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen 37077, Germany
- Faculty of Biology and Psychology,
University Göttingen,Göttingen 37073,
Germany
| | - Michael Gütschow
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute,
Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn,
An der Immenburg 4, Bonn D-53121, Germany
| | - Anthony J. O’Donoghue
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92093, United States
| | - Yechun Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, and Stake Key
Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Christa E. Müller
- PharmaCenter Bonn, Pharmaceutical Institute,
Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, University of Bonn,
An der Immenburg 4, Bonn D-53121, Germany
| | - Stefan A. Laufer
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal
Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Eberhard Karls
University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) “Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed
Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen,
Tübingen 72076, Germany
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40
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Yang KS, Leeuwon SZ, Xu S, Liu WR. Evolutionary and Structural Insights about Potential SARS-CoV-2 Evasion of Nirmatrelvir. J Med Chem 2022; 65:8686-8698. [PMID: 35731933 PMCID: PMC9236210 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The U.S. FDA approval of PAXLOVID, a combination therapy of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir has significantly boosted our morale in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Nirmatrelvir is an inhibitor of the main protease (MPro) of SARS-CoV-2. Since many SARS-CoV-2 variants that resist vaccines and antibodies have emerged, a concern of acquired viral resistance to nirmatrelvir naturally arises. Here, possible mutations in MPro to confer viral evasion of nirmatrelvir are analyzed and discussed from both evolutionary and structural standpoints. The analysis indicates that those mutations will likely reside in the whole aa45-51 helical region and residues including M165, L167, P168, R188, and Q189. Relevant mutations have also been observed in existing SARS-CoV-2 samples. Implications of this analysis to the fight against future drug-resistant viral variants and the development of broad-spectrum antivirals are discussed as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai S. Yang
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7743, USA
| | - Sunshine Z. Leeuwon
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7743, USA
| | - Shiqing Xu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7743, USA
| | - Wenshe Ray Liu
- Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7743, USA
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology and Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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41
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Liu H, Iketani S, Zask A, Khanizeman N, Bednarova E, Forouhar F, Fowler B, Hong SJ, Mohri H, Nair MS, Huang Y, Tay NES, Lee S, Karan C, Resnick SJ, Quinn C, Li W, Shion H, Xia X, Daniels JD, Bartolo-Cruz M, Farina M, Rajbhandari P, Jurtschenko C, Lauber MA, McDonald T, Stokes ME, Hurst BL, Rovis T, Chavez A, Ho DD, Stockwell BR. Development of optimized drug-like small molecule inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease for treatment of COVID-19. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1891. [PMID: 35393402 PMCID: PMC8989888 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29413-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease is a critical drug target for small molecule COVID-19 therapy, given its likely druggability and essentiality in the viral maturation and replication cycle. Based on the conservation of 3CL protease substrate binding pockets across coronaviruses and using screening, we identified four structurally distinct lead compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease. After evaluation of their binding specificity, cellular antiviral potency, metabolic stability, and water solubility, we prioritized the GC376 scaffold as being optimal for optimization. We identified multiple drug-like compounds with <10 nM potency for inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 3CL and the ability to block SARS-CoV-2 replication in human cells, obtained co-crystal structures of the 3CL protease in complex with these compounds, and determined that they have pan-coronavirus activity. We selected one compound, termed coronastat, as an optimized lead and characterized it in pharmacokinetic and safety studies in vivo. Coronastat represents a new candidate for a small molecule protease inhibitor for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection for eliminating pandemics involving coronaviruses. Small molecule drugs promise to remain a valuable tool in controlling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here the authors describe optimized drug-like small molecule inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease for potential treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengrui Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Sho Iketani
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Arie Zask
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Nisha Khanizeman
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Eva Bednarova
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Farhad Forouhar
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Brandon Fowler
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Seo Jung Hong
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Hiroshi Mohri
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Manoj S Nair
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Yaoxing Huang
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Nicholas E S Tay
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Sumin Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Charles Karan
- Sulzberger Columbia Genome Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Samuel J Resnick
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.,Medical Scientist Training Program, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Colette Quinn
- Waters Corporation, 34 Maple Street, Milford, MA, 01757, USA
| | - Wenjing Li
- Waters Corporation, 34 Maple Street, Milford, MA, 01757, USA
| | - Henry Shion
- Waters Corporation, 34 Maple Street, Milford, MA, 01757, USA
| | - Xin Xia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jacob D Daniels
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | | | - Marcelo Farina
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Presha Rajbhandari
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | | | | | - Thomas McDonald
- Waters Corporation, 34 Maple Street, Milford, MA, 01757, USA
| | - Michael E Stokes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Brett L Hurst
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Tomislav Rovis
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Alejandro Chavez
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - David D Ho
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Brent R Stockwell
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
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42
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Getso MI, Etemadi S, Raissi V, Mohseni M, Mohseni MS, Raeisi F, Raiesi O. Therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 patients: An update. Infect Disord Drug Targets 2022; 22:10-21. [PMID: 35319396 DOI: 10.2174/1871526522666220322145729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus SARS-coV-2, which emerged in Wuhan in November 2019, has increasingly spread causing a global pandemic that infected more than 444 million people, resulting in severe social and economic ramifications, and claimed more than 6,010,000 lives by March 5, 2022. The pandemic attracted global attention with consequential multiple economic, social, and clinical studies. Among causes of poor clinical outcome of the disease are therapeutic challenges, leading to spirals of studies in search for better therapeutic alternatives. Despite the worsening circumstances of the pandemic, no drug has yet shown remarkable efficacy in the clinical management of COVID-19 patients in large-scale trials. Many potential therapeutic strategies, including the use of nucleotide analogs, chloroquine phosphate, arbidol, protease inhibitors (lopinavir/ritonavir), plasma, monoclonal antibodies, plastic antibodies based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), nanomaterials, vaccine, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have emerged with various degrees of successes. Remdesivir and dexamethasone have now been licensed based on the results of randomized controlled trials. Baricitinib, the Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor, is also an attractive candidate due to its properties as a potent anti-inflammatory agent and its hypothesized off-target antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2. Besides, human plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients is theoretically expected to be safe and effective for both therapy and post-exposure prophylaxis. In light of the literature, the correlation between the reduction of C5aR1/C5aR2 and IL6-IL6R axis, using the available anti-IL6R mAb would be crucial. More, MSCs are a potential therapeutic choice for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The coronavirus spike (S) protein that mediates the process of the infection via binding of host cells to the virus receptor is an essential focus for vaccine development. Importantly, with the number of patients increasing daily, there is an urgent need for effective therapeutic intervention. In this review, we expatiated on several strategies deployed for the treatment of COVID-19 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ibrahim Getso
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, PMB 3011 Kano-Nigeria
| | - Soudabeh Etemadi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Vahid Raissi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Moein Mohseni
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maedeh Sadat Mohseni
- Department of Engineering and Technology, Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch, Sari, Iran
| | - Farid Raeisi
- Department of Nursing and Midwifery of Dezful Islamic Azad University, Dezful, Iran
| | - Omid Raiesi
- Department of Parasitology, School of Allied Medical Sciences. Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
- Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
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43
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Hou B, Zhang YM, Liao HY, Fu LF, Li DD, Zhao X, Qi JX, Yang W, Xiao GF, Yang L, Zuo ZY, Wang L, Zhang XL, Bai F, Yang L, Gao GF, Song H, Hu JM, Shang WJ, Zhou J. Target-Based Virtual Screening and LC/MS-Guided Isolation Procedure for Identifying Phloroglucinol-Terpenoid Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2022; 85:327-336. [PMID: 35084181 PMCID: PMC8806002 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to more than 5 million deaths worldwide to date. Due to the limited therapeutic options so far available, target-based virtual screening with LC/MS support was applied to identify the novel and high-content compounds 1-4 with inhibitory effects on SARS-CoV-2 in Vero E6 cells from the plant Dryopteris wallichiana. These compounds were also evaluated against SARS-CoV-2 in Calu-3 cells and showed unambiguous inhibitory activity. The inhibition assay of targets showed that compounds 3 and 4 mainly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, with effective Kd values. Through docking and molecular dynamics modeling, the binding site is described, providing a comprehensive understanding of 3CLpro and interactions for 3, including hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic bonds, and the spatial occupation of the B ring. Compounds 3 and 4 represent new, potential lead compounds for the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. This study has led to the development of a target-based virtual screening method for exploring the potency of natural products and for identifying natural bioactive compounds for possible COVID-19 treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant
Resources in West China and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry,
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Kunming 650201, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu-Min Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan
Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Wuhan 430071, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Han-Yi Liao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Li-Feng Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - De-Dong Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Xin Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Jian-Xun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Wei Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Geng-Fu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan
Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Wuhan 430071, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Lian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant
Resources in West China and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry,
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Kunming 650201, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zheng-Yu Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant
Resources in West China and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry,
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Kunming 650201, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lin Wang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies
and School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech
University, Shanghai 201210, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Xiang-Lei Zhang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies
and School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech
University, Shanghai 201210, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Fang Bai
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies
and School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech
University, Shanghai 201210, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Liu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant
Resources in West China and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry,
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Kunming 650201, People’s Republic of China
| | - George F. Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Hao Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and
Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
- Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH),
Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Jiang-Miao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant
Resources in West China and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry,
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Kunming 650201, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei-Juan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan
Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Wuhan 430071, People’s Republic of
China
| | - Jun Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant
Resources in West China and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry,
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Kunming 650201, People’s Republic of China
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44
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Lu J, Chen SA, Khan MB, Brassard R, Arutyunova E, Lamer T, Vuong W, Fischer C, Young HS, Vederas JC, Lemieux MJ. Crystallization of Feline Coronavirus M pro With GC376 Reveals Mechanism of Inhibition. Front Chem 2022; 10:852210. [PMID: 35281564 PMCID: PMC8907848 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.852210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses infect a variety of hosts in the animal kingdom, and while each virus is taxonomically different, they all infect their host via the same mechanism. The coronavirus main protease (Mpro, also called 3CLpro), is an attractive target for drug development due to its essential role in mediating viral replication and transcription. An Mpro inhibitor, GC376, has been shown to treat feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a fatal infection in cats caused by internal mutations in the feline enteric coronavirus (FECV). Recently, our lab demonstrated that the feline drug, GC373, and prodrug, GC376, are potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and solved the structures in complex with the drugs; however, no crystal structures of the FIP virus (FIPV) Mpro with the feline drugs have been published so far. Here, we present crystal structures of FIPV Mpro-GC373/GC376 complexes, revealing the inhibitors covalently bound to Cys144 in the active site, similar to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Additionally, GC376 has a higher affinity for FIPV Mpro with lower nanomolar Ki values compared to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. We also show that improved derivatives of GC376 have higher potency for FIPV Mpro. Since GC373 and GC376 represent strong starting points for structure-guided drug design, determining the crystal structures of FIPV Mpro with these inhibitors are important steps in drug optimization and structure-based broad-spectrum antiviral drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Lu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sizhu Amelia Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Raelynn Brassard
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Elena Arutyunova
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Tess Lamer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Wayne Vuong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Conrad Fischer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Howard S. Young
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - John C. Vederas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - M. Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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45
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Bai B, Belovodskiy A, Hena M, Kandadai AS, Joyce MA, Saffran HA, Shields JA, Khan MB, Arutyunova E, Lu J, Bajwa SK, Hockman D, Fischer C, Lamer T, Vuong W, van Belkum MJ, Gu Z, Lin F, Du Y, Xu J, Rahim M, Young HS, Vederas JC, Tyrrell DL, Lemieux MJ, Nieman JA. Peptidomimetic α-Acyloxymethylketone Warheads with Six-Membered Lactam P1 Glutamine Mimic: SARS-CoV-2 3CL Protease Inhibition, Coronavirus Antiviral Activity, and in Vitro Biological Stability. J Med Chem 2022; 65:2905-2925. [PMID: 34242027 PMCID: PMC8291138 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recurring coronavirus outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, establish a necessity to develop direct-acting antivirals that can be readily administered and are active against a broad spectrum of coronaviruses. Described in this Article are novel α-acyloxymethylketone warhead peptidomimetic compounds with a six-membered lactam glutamine mimic in P1. Compounds with potent SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease and in vitro viral replication inhibition were identified with low cytotoxicity and good plasma and glutathione stability. Compounds 15e, 15h, and 15l displayed selectivity for SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease over CatB and CatS and superior in vitro SARS-CoV-2 antiviral replication inhibition compared with the reported peptidomimetic inhibitors with other warheads. The cocrystallization of 15l with SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease confirmed the formation of a covalent adduct. α-Acyloxymethylketone compounds also exhibited antiviral activity against an alphacoronavirus and non-SARS betacoronavirus strains with similar potency and a better selectivity index than remdesivir. These findings demonstrate the potential of the substituted heteroaromatic and aliphatic α-acyloxymethylketone warheads as coronavirus inhibitors, and the described results provide a basis for further optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Bai
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Alexandr Belovodskiy
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Mostofa Hena
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Appan Srinivas Kandadai
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Michael A. Joyce
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Holly A. Saffran
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Justin A. Shields
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Muhammad Bashir Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Elena Arutyunova
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Jimmy Lu
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Sardeev K. Bajwa
- Department of Biochemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Darren Hockman
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - Conrad Fischer
- Department of Chemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Tess Lamer
- Department of Chemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Wayne Vuong
- Department of Chemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Marco J. van Belkum
- Department of Chemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Zhengxian Gu
- WuXi AppTec (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.,
G Warehouse #101, No. 10 Building, #227 Meisheng Road, WaiGaoQiao Free Trade Zone,
Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Fusen Lin
- WuXi AppTec (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.,
G Warehouse #101, No. 10 Building, #227 Meisheng Road, WaiGaoQiao Free Trade Zone,
Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Yanhua Du
- WuXi AppTec (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.,
G Warehouse #101, No. 10 Building, #227 Meisheng Road, WaiGaoQiao Free Trade Zone,
Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Jia Xu
- WuXi AppTec (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.,
G Warehouse #101, No. 10 Building, #227 Meisheng Road, WaiGaoQiao Free Trade Zone,
Shanghai 200131, China
| | - Mohammad Rahim
- Rane Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
4290 91a Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta T6E 5V2, Canada
| | - Howard S. Young
- Department of Biochemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - John C. Vederas
- Department of Chemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - D. Lorne Tyrrell
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
| | - M. Joanne Lemieux
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - James A. Nieman
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1,
Canada
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46
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Stille JK, Tjutrins J, Wang G, Venegas FA, Hennecker C, Rueda AM, Sharon I, Blaine N, Miron CE, Pinus S, Labarre A, Plescia J, Burai Patrascu M, Zhang X, Wahba AS, Vlaho D, Huot MJ, Schmeing TM, Mittermaier AK, Moitessier N. Design, synthesis and in vitro evaluation of novel SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro covalent inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 229:114046. [PMID: 34995923 PMCID: PMC8665847 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.114046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Severe diseases such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the previous SARS and MERS outbreaks, are the result of coronavirus infections and have demonstrated the urgent need for antiviral drugs to combat these deadly viruses. Due to its essential role in viral replication and function, 3CLpro (main coronaviruses cysteine-protease) has been identified as a promising target for the development of antiviral drugs. Previously reported SARS-CoV 3CLpro non-covalent inhibitors were used as a starting point for the development of covalent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. We report herein our efforts in the design and synthesis of submicromolar covalent inhibitors when the enzymatic activity of the viral protease was used as a screening platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia K Stille
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Jevgenijs Tjutrins
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Guanyu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Felipe A Venegas
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Christopher Hennecker
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Andrés M Rueda
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Itai Sharon
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler Montreal, QC, Canada, H3G 0B1
| | - Nicole Blaine
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Caitlin E Miron
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Sharon Pinus
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Anne Labarre
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Jessica Plescia
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Mihai Burai Patrascu
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Xiaocong Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Alexander S Wahba
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Danielle Vlaho
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - Mitchell J Huot
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - T Martin Schmeing
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler Montreal, QC, Canada, H3G 0B1
| | - Anthony K Mittermaier
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8.
| | - Nicolas Moitessier
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8.
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47
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Lv Z, Cano KE, Jia L, Drag M, Huang TT, Olsen SK. Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Proteases for COVID-19 Antiviral Development. Front Chem 2022; 9:819165. [PMID: 35186898 PMCID: PMC8850931 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.819165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019 marked the third occurrence of a highly pathogenic coronavirus in the human population since 2003. As the death toll surpasses 5 million globally and economic losses continue, designing drugs that could curtail infection and disease progression is critical. In the US, three highly effective Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized vaccines are currently available, and Remdesivir is approved for the treatment of hospitalized patients. However, moderate vaccination rates and the sustained evolution of new viral variants necessitate the ongoing search for new antivirals. Several viral proteins have been prioritized as SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug targets, among them the papain-like protease (PLpro) and the main protease (Mpro). Inhibition of these proteases would target viral replication, viral maturation, and suppression of host innate immune responses. Knowledge of inhibitors and assays for viruses were quickly adopted for SARS-CoV-2 protease research. Potential candidates have been identified to show inhibitory effects against PLpro and Mpro, both in biochemical assays and viral replication in cells. These results encourage further optimizations to improve prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy. In this review, we examine the latest developments of potential small-molecule inhibitors and peptide inhibitors for PLpro and Mpro, and how structural biology greatly facilitates this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongyang Lv
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Kristin E. Cano
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Lijia Jia
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Marcin Drag
- Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Tony T. Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Shaun K. Olsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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48
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Macip G, Garcia-Segura P, Mestres-Truyol J, Saldivar-Espinoza B, Pujadas G, Garcia-Vallvé S. A Review of the Current Landscape of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors: Have We Hit the Bullseye Yet? Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:259. [PMID: 35008685 PMCID: PMC8745775 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In this review, we collected 1765 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) M-pro inhibitors from the bibliography and other sources, such as the COVID Moonshot project and the ChEMBL database. This set of inhibitors includes only those compounds whose inhibitory capacity, mainly expressed as the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value, against M-pro from SARS-CoV-2 has been determined. Several covalent warheads are used to treat covalent and non-covalent inhibitors separately. Chemical space, the variation of the IC50 inhibitory activity when measured by different methods or laboratories, and the influence of 1,4-dithiothreitol (DTT) are discussed. When available, we have collected the values of inhibition of viral replication measured with a cellular antiviral assay and expressed as half maximal effective concentration (EC50) values, and their possible relationship to inhibitory potency against M-pro is analyzed. Finally, the most potent covalent and non-covalent inhibitors that simultaneously inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 M-pro and the virus replication in vitro are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Gerard Pujadas
- Research Group in Cheminformatics & Nutrition, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Campus Sescelades, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain; (G.M.); (P.G.-S.); (J.M.-T.); (B.S.-E.)
| | - Santiago Garcia-Vallvé
- Research Group in Cheminformatics & Nutrition, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Campus Sescelades, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain; (G.M.); (P.G.-S.); (J.M.-T.); (B.S.-E.)
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49
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Zakharova MY, Kuznetsova AA, Uvarova VI, Fomina AD, Kozlovskaya LI, Kaliberda EN, Kurbatskaia IN, Smirnov IV, Bulygin AA, Knorre VD, Fedorova OS, Varnek A, Osolodkin DI, Ishmukhametov AA, Egorov AM, Gabibov AG, Kuznetsov NA. Pre-Steady-State Kinetics of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease as a Powerful Tool for Antiviral Drug Discovery. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:773198. [PMID: 34938188 PMCID: PMC8686763 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.773198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The design of effective target-specific drugs for COVID-19 treatment has become an intriguing challenge for modern science. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease, Mpro, responsible for the processing of SARS-CoV-2 polyproteins and production of individual components of viral replication machinery, is an attractive candidate target for drug discovery. Specific Mpro inhibitors have turned out to be promising anticoronaviral agents. Thus, an effective platform for quantitative screening of Mpro-targeting molecules is urgently needed. Here, we propose a pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of the interaction of Mpro with inhibitors as a basis for such a platform. We examined the kinetic mechanism of peptide substrate binding and cleavage by wild-type Mpro and by its catalytically inactive mutant C145A. The enzyme induces conformational changes of the peptide during the reaction. The inhibition of Mpro by boceprevir, telaprevir, GC-376, PF-00835231, or thimerosal was investigated. Detailed pre-steady-state kinetics of the interaction of the wild-type enzyme with the most potent inhibitor, PF-00835231, revealed a two-step binding mechanism, followed by covalent complex formation. The C145A Mpro mutant interacts with PF-00835231 approximately 100-fold less effectively. Nevertheless, the binding constant of PF-00835231 toward C145A Mpro is still good enough to inhibit the enzyme. Therefore, our results suggest that even noncovalent inhibitor binding due to a fine conformational fit into the active site is sufficient for efficient inhibition. A structure-based virtual screening and a subsequent detailed assessment of inhibition efficacy allowed us to select two compounds as promising noncovalent inhibitor leads of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Yu Zakharova
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexandra A Kuznetsova
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Victoria I Uvarova
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasiia D Fomina
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Liubov I Kozlovskaya
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena N Kaliberda
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Inna N Kurbatskaia
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan V Smirnov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anatoly A Bulygin
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Vera D Knorre
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga S Fedorova
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexandre Varnek
- Laboratoire de Chémoinformatique, UMR 7140 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dmitry I Osolodkin
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aydar A Ishmukhametov
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey M Egorov
- FSASI "Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS" (Institute of Poliomyelitis), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander G Gabibov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikita A Kuznetsov
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch (SB) of RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
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Alugubelli YR, Geng ZZ, Yang KS, Shaabani N, Khatua K, Ma XR, Vatansever EC, Cho CC, Ma Y, Blankenship L, Yu G, Sankaran B, Li P, Allen R, Ji H, Xu S, Liu WR. The N -Terminal Carbamate is Key to High Cellular and Antiviral Potency for Boceprevir-Based SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 34981058 DOI: 10.1101/2021.12.18.473330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Boceprevir is an HCV NSP3 inhibitor that has been explored as a repurposed drug for COVID-19. It inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M Pro ) and contains an α-ketoamide warhead, a P1 β-cyclobutylalanyl moiety, a P2 dimethylcyclopropylproline, a P3 tert -butyl-glycine, and a P4 N -terminal tert -butylcarbamide. By introducing modifications at all four positions, we synthesized 20 boceprevir-based M Pro inhibitors including PF-07321332 and characterized their M Pro inhibition potency in test tubes ( in vitro ) and human host cells ( in cellulo ). Crystal structures of M Pro bound with 10 inhibitors and antiviral potency of 4 inhibitors were characterized as well. Replacing the P1 site with a β-(S-2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl)-alanyl (opal) residue and the warhead with an aldehyde leads to high in vitro potency. The original moieties at P2, P3 and the P4 N -terminal cap positions in boceprevir are better than other tested chemical moieties for high in vitro potency. In crystal structures, all inhibitors form a covalent adduct with the M Pro active site cysteine. The P1 opal residue, P2 dimethylcyclopropylproline and P4 N -terminal tert -butylcarbamide make strong hydrophobic interactions with M Pro , explaining high in vitro potency of inhibitors that contain these moieties. A unique observation was made with an inhibitor that contains an P4 N -terminal isovaleramide. In its M Pro complex structure, the P4 N -terminal isovaleramide is tucked deep in a small pocket of M Pro that originally recognizes a P4 alanine side chain in a substrate. Although all inhibitors show high in vitro potency, they have drastically different in cellulo potency in inhibiting ectopically expressed M Pro in human 293T cells. All inhibitors including PF-07321332 with a P4 N -terminal carbamide or amide have low in cellulo potency. This trend is reversed when the P4 N -terminal cap is changed to a carbamate. The installation of a P3 O-tert -butyl-threonine improves in cellulo potency. Three molecules that contain a P4 N -terminal carbamate were advanced to antiviral tests on three SARS-CoV-2 variants. They all have high potency with EC 50 values around 1 μM. A control compound with a nitrile warhead and a P4 N -terminal amide has undetectable antiviral potency. Based on all observations, we conclude that a P4 N -terminal carbamate in a boceprevir derivative is key for high antiviral potency against SARS-CoV-2.
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