1
|
Bhattacharya K, Bhattacharjee A, Chakraborty M. Assessing the potential of Psidium guajava derived phytoconstituents as anticholinesterase inhibitor to combat Alzheimer's disease: an in-silico and in-vitro approach. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-18. [PMID: 38205777 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2301930] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors play a crucial role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. These drugs increase acetylcholine levels by inhibiting the enzyme responsible for its degradation, which is a vital neurotransmitter involved in memory and cognition. This intervention intermittently improves cognitive symptoms and augments neurotransmission. This study investigates the potential of Psidium guajava fruit extract as an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor for Alzheimer's disease treatment. Molecular characteristics and drug-likeness were analyzed after HR-LCMS revealed phytocompounds in an ethanolic extract of Psidium guajava fruit. Selected phytocompounds were subjected to molecular docking against AChE, with the best-docked compound then undergoing MD simulation, MMGBSA, DCCM, FEL, and PCA investigations to evaluate the complex stability. The hit compound's potential toxicity and further pharmacokinetic features were also predicted. Anticholinesterase activity was also studied using in vitro assay. The HR-LCMS uncovered 68 compounds. Based on computational analysis, Fluspirilene was determined to have the highest potential to inhibit AChE. It was discovered that the Fluspirilene-AChE complex is stable and that Fluspirilene has a high binding affinity for AChE. Extract of Psidium guajava fruit significantly inhibits AChE (88.37% at 200 μg/ml). It is comparable to the standard AChE inhibitor Galantamine. Fluspirilene exhibited remarkable binding to AChE. Psidium guajava fruit extract demonstrated substantial AChE inhibitory activity, indicating its potential for Alzheimer's treatment. The study underscores natural sources' significance in drug discovery.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kunal Bhattacharya
- Royal School of Pharmacy, The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati, India
- Pratiksha Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guwahati, India
| | - Atanu Bhattacharjee
- Royal School of Pharmacy, The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Reus P, Guthmann H, Uhlig N, Agbaria M, Issmail L, Eberlein V, Nordling-David MM, Jbara-Agbaria D, Ciesek S, Bojkova D, Cinatl J, Burger-Kentischer A, Rupp S, Zaliani A, Grunwald T, Gribbon P, Kannt A, Golomb G. Drug repurposing for the treatment of COVID-19: Targeting nafamostat to the lungs by a liposomal delivery system. J Control Release 2023; 364:654-671. [PMID: 37939853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.10.050] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite tremendous global efforts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, still only a limited number of prophylactic and therapeutic options are available. Although vaccination is the most effective measure in preventing morbidity and mortality, there is a need for safe and effective post-infection treatment medication. In this study, we explored a pipeline of 21 potential candidates, examined in the Calu-3 cell line for their antiviral efficacy, for drug repurposing. Ralimetinib and nafamostat, clinically used drugs, have emerged as attractive candidates. Due to the inherent limitations of the selected drugs, we formulated targeted liposomes suitable for both systemic and intranasal administration. Non-targeted and targeted nafamostat liposomes (LipNaf) decorated with an Apolipoprotein B peptide (ApoB-P) as a specific lung-targeting ligand were successfully developed. The developed liposomal formulations of nafamostat were found to possess favorable physicochemical properties including nano size (119-147 nm), long-term stability of the normally rapidly degrading compound in aqueous solution, negligible leakage from the liposomes upon storage, and a neutral surface charge with low polydispersity index (PDI). Both nafamostat and ralimetinib liposomes showed good cellular uptake and lack of cytotoxicity, and non-targeted LipNaf demonstrated enhanced accumulation in the lungs following intranasal (IN) administration in non-infected mice. LipNaf retained its anti-SARS-CoV 2 activity in Calu 3 cells with only a modest decrease, exhibiting complete inhibition at concentrations >100 nM. IN, but not intraperitoneal (IP) treatment with targeted LipNaf resulted in a trend to reduced viral load in the lungs of K18-hACE2 mice compared to targeted empty Lip. Nevertheless, upon removal of outlier data, a statistically significant 1.9-fold reduction in viral load was achieved. This observation further highlights the importance of a targeted delivery into the respiratory tract. In summary, we were able to demonstrate a proof-of-concept of drug repurposing by liposomal formulations with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. The biodistribution and bioactivity studies with LipNaf suggest an IN or inhalation route of administration for optimal therapeutic efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Reus
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Discovery Research ScreeningPort, Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, Germany; Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Institute for Medical Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Straße 40, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Hadar Guthmann
- Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel; The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Nadja Uhlig
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Perlickstrasse 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Majd Agbaria
- Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
| | - Leila Issmail
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Perlickstrasse 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Valentina Eberlein
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Perlickstrasse 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mirjam M Nordling-David
- Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
| | - Doaa Jbara-Agbaria
- Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel
| | - Sandra Ciesek
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Institute for Medical Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Straße 40, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Denisa Bojkova
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Institute for Medical Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Straße 40, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jindrich Cinatl
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Institute for Medical Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Straße 40, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anke Burger-Kentischer
- Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Nobelstraße 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Steffen Rupp
- Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Nobelstraße 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Andrea Zaliani
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Discovery Research ScreeningPort, Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Grunwald
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy und Immunology IZI, Perlickstrasse 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Philip Gribbon
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Discovery Research ScreeningPort, Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Aimo Kannt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Innovation Center TheraNova, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Gershon Golomb
- Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel; The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sarkar K, Nandi S, Das RK. Computational insights into pediatric adenovirus inhibitors: in silico strategies for drug repurposing. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-14. [PMID: 37642990 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2252072] [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: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Human adenovirus (HADV) infection can pose a serious threat to children, leading to a variety of respiratory illnesses and other complications. Particularly, children with weak immune systems are vulnerable to severe adenovirus infections with high mortality. The main focus of this study is to propose new antiviral agents as lead HADV inhibitors for children. So, several antiviral agents used in children were subjected to finding new HADV inhibitors using important computational methods of molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) binding free energy calculations, density functional theory (DFT), and pharmacokinetic analysis. Molecular docking of standard cidofovir along with other ligands, suggested that sofosbuvir has the highest binding energy (-10.8 kcal/mol), followed by baloxavir marboxil (-10.36 kcal/mol). Further, the analysis of molecular interactions using MD simulation (100 ns) and MM-PBSA indicated that baloxavir marboxil has formed the most stable protein-ligand complex with HADV, followed by sofosbuvir. The binding free energies of baloxavir marboxil and sofosbuvir were found to be -61.724 kJ/mol and -48.123 kJ/mol, respectively. The DFT and drug-likeness properties of these compounds were also investigated. Overall, two antiviral agents, such as baloxavir marboxil, and sofosbuvir are suggested as lead repurposed candidates against HADV.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Sarkar
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
| | - Subrata Nandi
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar Das
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ghasemlou A, Uskoković V, Sefidbakht Y. Exploration of potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro considering its mutants via structure-based drug design, molecular docking, MD simulations, MM/PBSA, and DFT calculations. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2023; 70:439-457. [PMID: 35642754 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-COV-2 plays a vital role in the viral life cycle and pathogenicity. Due to its specific attributes, this 3-chymotrypsin like protease can be a reliable target for the drug design to combat COVID-19. Since the advent of COVID-19, Mpro has undergone many mutations. Here, the impact of 10 mutations based on their frequency and five more based on their proximity to the active site was investigated. For comparison purposes, the docking process was also performed against the Mpros of SARS-COV and MERS-COV. Four inhibitors with the highest docking score (11b, α-ketoamide 13b, Nelfinavir, and PF-07321332) were selected for the structure-based ligand design via fragment replacement, and around 2000 new compounds were thus obtained. After the screening of these new compounds, the pharmacokinetic properties of the best ones were predicted. In the last step, comparative molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area calculations (MM/PBSA), and density functional theory calculations were performed. Among the 2000 newly designed compounds, three of them (NE1, NE2, and NE3), which were obtained by modifications of Nelfinavir, showed the highest affinity against all the Mpro targets. Together, NE1 compound is the best candidate for follow-up Mpro inhibition and drug development studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Vuk Uskoković
- TardigradeNano, LLC, Irvine, California, USA.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Yahya Sefidbakht
- Protein Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nepali K, Sharma R, Sharma S, Thakur A, Liou JP. Beyond the vaccines: a glance at the small molecule and peptide-based anti-COVID19 arsenal. J Biomed Sci 2022; 29:65. [PMID: 36064696 PMCID: PMC9444709 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-022-00847-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Unprecedented efforts of the researchers have been witnessed in the recent past towards the development of vaccine platforms for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Albeit, vaccination stands as a practical strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, supplementing the anti-COVID19 arsenal with therapeutic options such as small molecules/peptides and antibodies is being conceived as a prudent strategy to tackle the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Noteworthy to mention that collective efforts from numerous teams have led to the generation of a voluminous library composed of chemically and mechanistically diverse small molecules as anti-COVID19 scaffolds. This review article presents an overview of medicinal chemistry campaigns and drug repurposing programs that culminated in the identification of a plethora of small molecule-based anti-COVID19 drugs mediating their antiviral effects through inhibition of proteases, S protein, RdRp, ACE2, TMPRSS2, cathepsin and other targets. In light of the evidence ascertaining the potential of small molecule drugs to approach conserved proteins required for the viral replication of all coronaviruses, accelerated FDA approvals are anticipated for small molecules for the treatment of COVID19 shortly. Though the recent attempts invested in this direction in pursuit of enrichment of the anti-COVID-19 armoury (chemical tools) are praiseworthy, some strategies need to be implemented to extract conclusive benefits of the recently reported small molecule viz. (i) detailed preclinical investigation of the generated anti-COVID19 scaffolds (ii) in-vitro profiling of the inhibitors against the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants (iii) development of assays enabling rapid screening of the libraries of anti-COVID19 scaffold (iv) leveraging the applications of machine learning based predictive models to expedite the anti-COVID19 drug discovery campaign (v) design of antibody-drug conjugates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kunal Nepali
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
- TMU Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Ram Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Sachin Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Amandeep Thakur
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Ping Liou
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing Street, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
- TMU Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lu J, Zhang Y, Qi D, Yan C, Wu B, Huang JH, Yao J, Wu E, Zhang G. An L-theanine derivative targets against SARS-CoV-2 and its Delta and Omicron variants. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09660. [PMID: 35706933 PMCID: PMC9181633 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research efforts have shown that tea has activities against SARS-CoV-2. However, the active compounds and the action mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we study the inhibitory potential of L-theanine from tea and its semi-synthesized derivative, a small-molecule fluorescent compound, ethyl 6-bromocoumarin-3-carboxylyl L-theanine (TBrC) against infection and replication of SARS-CoV-2 and the underlying mechanisms of action. We reveal that TBrC has potential activities against SARS-CoV-2 in addition to its activity against lung cancer. TBrC showed extracellular inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro/3CL and the host cell receptor ACE2 while interacting with the viral spike glycoproteins (wild-type, Delta, and Omicron mutants). Moreover, TBrC and L-theanine significantly suppressed growth and TNFα-induced nuclear transcriptional activation of NF-κB in human lung cancer cells without affecting the viability of normal lung cells, suggesting a potential protection of TBrC and L-theanine from pulmonary damages in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, especially for lung cancer patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Lu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, 264005, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, 264005, China.,Shandong YingdongYinghao Biotechnology Inc., Yantai, Shandong, 264670, China.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58105, USA
| | - Dan Qi
- Neuroscience Institute, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
| | - Chunyan Yan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, 264005, China.,Department of Pharmacy, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital (Laishan branch), Yantai, Shandong, 264003, China
| | - Benhao Wu
- Shandong YingdongYinghao Biotechnology Inc., Yantai, Shandong, 264670, China
| | - Jason H Huang
- Neuroscience Institute, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA.,College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jianwen Yao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, 264005, China
| | - Erxi Wu
- Neuroscience Institute, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA.,College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.,College of Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.,LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes and Department of Oncology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Guoying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, 264005, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Pramanik D, Pawar AB, Roy S, Singh JK. Mechanistic insights of key host proteins and potential repurposed inhibitors regulating SARS-CoV-2 pathway. J Comput Chem 2022; 43:1237-1250. [PMID: 35535951 PMCID: PMC9348233 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26888] [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] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of pandemic situations originated from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)‐CoV‐2 and its new variants created worldwide medical emergencies. Due to the non‐availability of efficient drugs and vaccines at these emergency hours, repurposing existing drugs can effectively treat patients critically infected by SARS‐CoV‐2. Finding a suitable repurposing drug with inhibitory efficacy to a host‐protein is challenging. A detailed mechanistic understanding of the kinetics, (dis)association pathways, key protein residues facilitating the entry–exit of the drugs with targets are fundamental in selecting these repurposed drugs. Keeping this target as the goal of the paper, the potential repurposing drugs, Nafamostat, Camostat, Silmitasertib, Valproic acid, and Zotatifin with host‐proteins HDAC2, CSK22, eIF4E2 are studied to elucidate energetics, kinetics, and dissociation pathways. From an ensemble of independent simulations, we observed the presence of single or multiple dissociation pathways with varying host‐proteins‐drug systems and quantitatively estimated the probability of unbinding through these specific pathways. We also explored the crucial gateway residues facilitating these dissociation mechanisms. Interestingly, the residues we obtained for HDAC2 and CSK22 are also involved in the catalytic activity. Our results demonstrate how these potential drugs interact with the host machinery and the specific target residues, showing involvement in the mechanism. Most of these drugs are in the preclinical phase, and some are already being used to treat severe COVID‐19 patients. Hence, the mechanistic insight presented in this study is envisaged to support further findings of clinical studies and eventually develop efficient inhibitors to treat SARS‐CoV‐2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debabrata Pramanik
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
| | | | - Sudip Roy
- Prescience Insilico Private Limited, Bangalore, India
| | - Jayant Kumar Singh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India.,Prescience Insilico Private Limited, Bangalore, India
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Antiviral phytocompounds “ellagic acid” and “(+)-sesamin” of Bridelia retusa identified as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro using extensive molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation studies, binding free energy calculations, and bioactivity prediction. Struct Chem 2022; 33:1445-1465. [PMID: 35571865 PMCID: PMC9086128 DOI: 10.1007/s11224-022-01959-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected billions and has killed millions to date. Studies are being carried out to find therapeutic molecules that can potentially inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2. 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL pro) involved in the polyprotein cleavage process is believed to be the key target for viral replication, and hence is an attractive target for the discovery of antiviral molecules. In the present study, we aimed to identify natural phytocompounds from Bridelia retusa as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro (PDB ID: 6M2N) using in silico techniques. Molecular docking studies conducted with three different tools in triplicates revealed that ellagic acid (BR6) and (+)-sesamin (BR13) has better binding affinity than the co-crystal inhibitor “3WL” of 6M2N. BR6 and BR13 were found to have a high LD50 value with good bioavailability. 3WL, BR6, and BR13 bind to the same active binding site and interacted with the HIS41-CYS145 catalytic dyad including other crucial amino acids. Molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed stability of protein–ligand complexes as evidenced from root-mean-square deviations, root-mean-square fluctuations (RMSF), protein secondary structure elements, ligand-RMSF, protein–ligand contacts, ligand torsions, and ligand properties. BR6 (−22.3064 kcal/mol) and BR13 (−19.1274 kcal/mol) showed a low binding free energy value. The Bayesian statistical model revealed BR6 and BR13 as better protease inhibitors than 3WL. Moreover, BR6 and BR13 had already been reported to elicit antiviral activities. Therefore, we conclude that ellagic acid and (+)-sesamin as natural antiviral phytocompounds with inhibitory potential against SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro.
Collapse
|
9
|
Sanachai K, Mahalapbutr P, Sanghiran Lee V, Rungrotmongkol T, Hannongbua S. In Silico Elucidation of Potent Inhibitors and Rational Drug Design against SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:13644-13656. [PMID: 34904832 PMCID: PMC8691209 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c07060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Global public health has been a critical problem by the sudden increase of the COVID-19 outbreak. The papain-like protease (PLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is a key promising target for antiviral drug development since it plays a pivotal role in viral replication and innate immunity. Here, we employed the all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations based on MM-PB(GB)SA and SIE methods to elucidate and compare the binding behaviors of five inhibitors derived from peptidomimetic inhibitors (VIR250 and VIR251) and naphthalene-based inhibitors (GRL-0617, compound 3, and compound Y96) against SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. The obtained results revealed that all inhibitors interacting within the PLpro active site are mostly driven by vdW interactions, and the hydrogen bond formation in residues G163 and G271 with peptidomimetics and the Q269 residue with naphthalene-based inhibitors was essential for stabilizing the protein-ligand complexes. Among the five studied inhibitors, VIR250 exhibited the most binding efficiency with SARS-CoV-2 PLpro, and thus, it was chosen for the rational drug design. Based on the computationally designed ligand-protein complexes, the replacement of aromatic rings including heteroatoms (e.g., thiazolopyridine) at the P2 and P4 sites could help to improve the inhibitor-binding efficiency. Furthermore, the hydrophobic interactions with residues at P1-P3 sites can be increased by enlarging the nonpolar moieties (e.g., ethene) at the N-terminal of VIR250. We expect that the structural data obtained will contribute to the development of new PLpro inhibitors with more inhibitory potency for COVID-19.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kamonpan Sanachai
- Center
of Excellence in Computational Chemistry (CECC), Department of Chemistry,
Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Biocatalyst
and Environmental Biotechnology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry,
Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Panupong Mahalapbutr
- Department
of Biochemistry, Center for Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
| | - Vannajan Sanghiran Lee
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University
of Malaya, Kuala
Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Thanyada Rungrotmongkol
- Biocatalyst
and Environmental Biotechnology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry,
Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Program
in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Supot Hannongbua
- Center
of Excellence in Computational Chemistry (CECC), Department of Chemistry,
Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Poonia N, Lal K, Kumar A, Kumar A, Sahu S, Baidya ATK, Kumar R. Urea-thiazole/benzothiazole hybrids with a triazole linker: synthesis, antimicrobial potential, pharmacokinetic profile and in silico mechanistic studies. Mol Divers 2021; 26:2375-2391. [PMID: 34671895 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-021-10336-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Some urea-thiazole/benzothiazole hybrids with a triazole linker were synthesized via Cu(I)-catalysed click reaction. After successfully analysed by various spectral techniques including FTIR, NMR and HRMS, antimicrobial screening of the synthesized hybrids along with their precursors was carried out against two Gram (+) bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus endophyticus), two Gram (-) bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens) and two fungi (Candida albicans and Rhizopus oryzae). All the synthesized compounds (4a-4l) displayed better biological response than the standard fluconazole against both of the tested fungi. Compounds 4h and 4j were found to be the most active compounds against R. oryzae and C. albicans, respectively. Molecular docking of hybrid 4j and its alkyne precursor 1b in the active site of C. albicans target sterol 14-α demethylase was also performed and was also supported by molecular dynamics studies. In silico ADME prediction of synthesized urea-thiazole/benzothiazole hybrids with a triazole linker and their alkyne precursors was also predicted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Poonia
- Department of Chemistry, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India
| | - Kashmiri Lal
- Department of Chemistry, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India.
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India
| | - Anil Kumar
- Department of Bio and Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India
| | - Srikanta Sahu
- Department of Chemistry, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Jatni, Odisha, 752050, India
| | - Anurag T K Baidya
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, (B.H.U.), U.P., Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Rajnish Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, (B.H.U.), U.P., Varanasi, 221005, India
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Shadrack DM, Vuai SAH, Sahini MG, Onoka I. In silico study of the inhibition of SARS-COV-2 viral cell entry by neem tree extracts. RSC Adv 2021; 11:26524-26533. [PMID: 35480004 PMCID: PMC9037307 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra04197e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19, caused by SARS-COV-2, is responsible for higher mortality and morbidity rates across the globe. Until now, there is no specific treatment of the disease and hospitalized patients are treated according to the symptoms they develop. Efforts to identify drugs and/or vaccines are ongoing processes. Natural products have shown great promise in the treatment of many viral related diseases. In this work, using in silico methods, bioactive compounds from the neem tree were investigated for their ability to block viral cell entry as spike RBD-ACE2 inhibitors. Azadirachtin H, quentin and margocin were identified as potential compounds that demonstrated viral cell entry inhibition properties. The structural re-orientation of azadirachtin H was observed as the mechanism for viral cell entry inhibition. These compounds possessed good pharmacodynamic properties. The proposed molecules can serve as a starting point towards developing effective anti-SARS-COV-2 drugs targeting the inhibition of viral cell entry upon further in vitro and in vivo validation. The outbreak of COVID-19, caused by SARS-COV-2, is responsible for higher mortality and morbidity rates across the globe.![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Shadrack
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, St John's University of Tanzania Dodoma P. O. Box 47 +255 713 696 089
| | - Said A H Vuai
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Dodoma Dodoma P. O. Box 338 Tanzania
| | - Mtabazi G Sahini
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Dodoma Dodoma P. O. Box 338 Tanzania
| | - Isaac Onoka
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Dodoma Dodoma P. O. Box 338 Tanzania
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Zheng Y, Sun X, Miao Y, Qin S, Jiang Y, Zhang X, Huang L. A systematic study on the chemical diversity and efficacy of the inflorescence and succulent stem of Cynomorium songaricum. Food Funct 2021; 12:7501-7513. [PMID: 34223597 DOI: 10.1039/d1fo01275d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cynomorium songaricum is a medicinal, edible, and endangered plant species. Since inflorescences are not considered medicinal parts, their discard causes a waste of resources. To expand the medicinal uses of C. songaricum, we evaluated their chemistry and pharmacology by applying widely targeted metabolomics, network pharmacology, and molecular docking. Widely targeted metabolomics results indicated chemical diversity in C. songaricum with 599 compounds. Among them, 280 compounds were different between the succulent stem and inflorescence. With 218 upregulated compounds, inflorescence has more abundant compounds than the succulent stem, especially pigment compounds such as flavonols, flavones, and flavanones. Moreover, anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin were unique compounds in the inflorescence and succulent stem, respectively. Sixty-five compounds in inflorescence and 18 compounds in succulent stems were found to be associated with atherosclerosis in the network pharmacology analysis. Tests revealed that inflorescence had a stronger anti-atherosclerotic effect than succulent stems. Molecular docking analysis revealed that 30 compounds (29 pigment compounds) in inflorescence and 6 compounds (4 pigment compounds) in succulent stem showed strong binding affinities with three target proteins, namely ALB, MPO, and NOS2, especially amentoflavone, quercetin 7-O-rutinoside, and luteolin 7-O-glucoside (cynaroside). Results demonstrated that the inflorescence is rich in pigment compounds and has a potential anti-atherosclerosis effect. This study provides novel methods and ideas for the sustainable development of endangered medicinal plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Resources Conservation, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Synthetic and computational efforts towards the development of peptidomimetics and small-molecule SARS-CoV 3CLpro inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 46:116301. [PMID: 34332853 PMCID: PMC8254399 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116301] [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: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a severe febrile respiratory disease caused by the beta genus of human coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV. Last year, 2019-n-CoV (COVID-19) was a global threat for everyone caused by the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2. 3CLpro, chymotrypsin-like protease, is a major cysteine protease that substantially contributes throughout the viral life cycle of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. It is a prospective target for the development of SARS-CoV inhibitors by applying a repurposing strategy. This review focuses on a detailed overview of the chemical synthesis and computational chemistry perspectives of peptidomimetic inhibitors (PIs) and small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) targeting viral proteinase discovered from 2004 to 2020. The PIs and SMIs are one of the primary therapeutic inventions for SARS-CoV. The journey of different analogues towards the evolution of SARS-CoV 3CLpro inhibitors and complete synthetic preparation of nineteen derivatives of PIs and ten derivatives of SMIs and their computational chemistry perspectives were reviewed. From each class of derivatives, we have identified and highlighted the most compelling PIs and SMIs for SARS-CoV 3CLpro. The protein-ligand interaction of 29 inhibitors were also studied that involved with the 3CLpro inhibition, and the frequent amino acid residues of the protease were also analyzed that are responsible for the interactions with the inhibitors. This work will provide an initiative to encourage further research for the development of effective and drug-like 3CLpro inhibitors against coronaviruses in the near future.
Collapse
|