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Al Adem K, Ferreira JC, Villanueva AJ, Fadl S, El-Sadaany F, Masmoudi I, Gidiya Y, Gurudza T, Cardoso THS, Saksena NK, Rabeh WM. 3-chymotrypsin-like protease in SARS-CoV-2. Biosci Rep 2024; 44:BSR20231395. [PMID: 39036877 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20231395] [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: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses constitute a significant threat to the human population. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, SARS-CoV-2, is a highly pathogenic human coronavirus that has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It has led to a global viral outbreak with an exceptional spread and a high death toll, highlighting the need for effective antiviral strategies. 3-Chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), the main protease in SARS-CoV-2, plays an indispensable role in the SARS-CoV-2 viral life cycle by cleaving the viral polyprotein to produce 11 individual non-structural proteins necessary for viral replication. 3CLpro is one of two proteases that function to produce new viral particles. It is a highly conserved cysteine protease with identical structural folds in all known human coronaviruses. Inhibitors binding with high affinity to 3CLpro will prevent the cleavage of viral polyproteins, thus impeding viral replication. Multiple strategies have been implemented to screen for inhibitors against 3CLpro, including peptide-like and small molecule inhibitors that covalently and non-covalently bind the active site, respectively. In addition, allosteric sites of 3CLpro have been identified to screen for small molecules that could make non-competitive inhibitors of 3CLpro. In essence, this review serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the structural intricacies and functional dynamics of 3CLpro, emphasizing key findings that elucidate its role as the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. Notably, the review is a critical resource in recognizing the advancements in identifying and developing 3CLpro inhibitors as effective antiviral strategies against COVID-19, some of which are already approved for clinical use in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenana Al Adem
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Juliana C Ferreira
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Adrian J Villanueva
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Samar Fadl
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Farah El-Sadaany
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Imen Masmoudi
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Yugmee Gidiya
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Tariro Gurudza
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Thyago H S Cardoso
- OMICS Centre of Excellence, G42 Healthcare, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nitin K Saksena
- Victoria University, Footscray Campus, Melbourne, VIC. Australia
| | - Wael M Rabeh
- Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Maikhunthod B, Chaipayang S, Jittmittraphap A, Thippornchai N, Boonchuen P, Tittabutr P, Eumkeb G, Sabuakham S, Rungrotmongkol T, Mahalapbutr P, Leaungwutiwong P, Teaumroong N, Tanthanuch W. Exploring the therapeutic potential of Thai medicinal plants: in vitro screening and in silico docking of phytoconstituents for novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. BMC Complement Med Ther 2024; 24:274. [PMID: 39030504 PMCID: PMC11264683 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04586-z] [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: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The high virulence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has triggered global health and economic concerns. The absence of specific antiviral treatments and the side effects of repurposed drugs present persistent challenges. This study explored a promising antiviral herbal extract against SARS-CoV-2 from selected Thai medicinal plants based on in vitro efficacy and evaluated its antiviral lead compounds by molecular docking. METHODS Twenty-two different ethanolic-aqueous crude extracts (CEs) were rapidly screened for their potential activity against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) as a surrogate using a plaque reduction assay. Extracts achieving ≥ 70% anti-PEDV efficacy proceeded to the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity test using a 50% tissue culture infectious dose method in Vero E6 cells. Molnupiravir and extract-free media served as positive and negative controls, respectively. Potent CEs underwent water/ethyl acetate fractionation to enhance antiviral efficacy, and the fractions were tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 performance. The fraction with the highest antiviral potency was identified using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Molecular docking analyses of these compounds against the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 (6LU7) were performed to identify antiviral lead molecules. The top three hits were further evaluated for their conformational stability in the docked complex using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. RESULTS The water fraction of mulberry (Morus alba Linn.) leaf CE (WF-MLCE) exhibited the most potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 efficacy with low cytotoxicity profile (CC50 of ~ 0.7 mg/mL), achieving 99.92% in pre-entry mode and 99.88% in postinfection treatment mode at 0.25 mg/mL. Flavonoids and conjugates were the predominant compounds identified in WF-MLCE. Molecular docking scores of several flavonoids against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro demonstrated their superior antiviral potency compared to molnupiravir. Remarkably, myricetin-3-O-β-D-galactopyranoside, maragrol B, and quercetin 3-O-robinobioside exhibited binding energies of ~ - 9 kcal/mol. The stability of each ligand-protein complex of these compounds with the Mpro system showed stability during MD simulation. These three molecules were pronounced as antiviral leads of WF-MLCE. Given the low cytotoxicity and high antiviral potency of WF-MLCE, it holds promise as a candidate for future therapeutic development for COVID-19 treatment, especially considering its economic and pharmacological advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bussayarat Maikhunthod
- School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Sukanya Chaipayang
- Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Public Organization), Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Akanitt Jittmittraphap
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Narin Thippornchai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Pakpoom Boonchuen
- School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Panlada Tittabutr
- School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Griangsak Eumkeb
- School of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Sahachai Sabuakham
- Department of Biochemistry, Center for Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand
| | - Thanyada Rungrotmongkol
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Structural and Computational Biology, 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
| | - Pornsawan Leaungwutiwong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Neung Teaumroong
- School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
| | - Waraporn Tanthanuch
- Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Public Organization), Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
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Quintieri L, Caputo L, Nicolotti O. Recent Advances in the Discovery of Novel Drugs on Natural Molecules. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1254. [PMID: 38927461 PMCID: PMC11200856 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural products (NPs) are always a promising source of novel drugs for tackling unsolved diseases [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Quintieri
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council (CNR), Via G. Amendola, 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy;
| | - Leonardo Caputo
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council (CNR), Via G. Amendola, 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy;
| | - Orazio Nicolotti
- Dipartimento di Farmacia—Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy;
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Ho WY, Shen ZH, Chen Y, Chen TH, Lu X, Fu YS. Therapeutic implications of quercetin and its derived-products in COVID-19 protection and prophylactic. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30080. [PMID: 38765079 PMCID: PMC11098804 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30080] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel human coronavirus, which has triggered a global pandemic of the coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19). Outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases continue to challenge human health worldwide. The virus conquers human cells through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor-driven pathway by mostly targeting the human respiratory tract. Quercetin is a natural flavonoid widely represented in the plant kingdom. Cumulative evidence has demonstrated that quercetin and its derivatives have various pharmacological properties including anti-cancer, anti-hypertension, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-hyperglycemia, anti-microbial, antiviral, neuroprotective, and cardio-protective effects, because it is a potential treatment for severe inflammation and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, it is the main life-threatening condition in patients with COVID-19. This article provides a comprehensive review of the primary literature on the predictable effectiveness of quercetin and its derivatives docked to multi-target of SARS-CoV-2 and host cells via in silico and some of validation through in vitro, in vivo, and clinically to fight SARS-CoV-2 infections, contribute to the reduction of inflammation, which suggests the preventive and therapeutic latency of quercetin and its derived-products against COVID-19 pandemic, multisystem inflammatory syndromes (MIS), and long-COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Yi Ho
- Department of Anatomy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Zi-Han Shen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
| | - Yijing Chen
- Department of Dentisty, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
| | - Ting-Hsu Chen
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10051, Taiwan
| | - XiaoLin Lu
- Anatomy Section, Department of Basic Medical Science, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
| | - Yaw-Syan Fu
- Institute of Respiratory Disease, Department of Basic Medical Science, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
- Anatomy Section, Department of Basic Medical Science, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361023, Fujian, China
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Saha C, Naskar R, Chakraborty S. Antiviral Flavonoids: A Natural Scaffold with Prospects as Phytomedicines against SARS-CoV2. Mini Rev Med Chem 2024; 24:39-59. [PMID: 37138419 DOI: 10.2174/1389557523666230503105053] [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: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Flavonoids are vital candidates to fight against a wide range of pathogenic microbial infections. Due to their therapeutic potential, many flavonoids from the herbs of traditional medicine systems are now being evaluated as lead compounds to develop potential antimicrobial hits. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 caused one of the deadliest pandemics that has ever been known to mankind. To date, more than 600 million confirmed cases of SARS-CoV2 infection have been reported worldwide. Situations are worse due to the unavailability of therapeutics to combat the viral disease. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop drugs against SARS-CoV2 and its emerging variants. Here, we have carried out a detailed mechanistic analysis of the antiviral efficacy of flavonoids in terms of their potential targets and structural feature required for exerting their antiviral activity. A catalog of various promising flavonoid compounds has been shown to elicit inhibitory effects against SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV proteases. However, they act in the high-micromolar regime. Thus a proper leadoptimization against the various proteases of SARS-CoV2 can lead to high-affinity SARS-CoV2 protease inhibitors. To enable lead optimization, a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis has been developed for the flavonoids that have shown antiviral activity against viral proteases of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. High sequence similarities between coronavirus proteases enable the applicability of the developed QSAR to SARS-CoV2 proteases inhibitor screening. The detailed mechanistic analysis of the antiviral flavonoids and the developed QSAR models is a step forward toward the development of flavonoid-based therapeutics or supplements to fight against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiranjeet Saha
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Kolkata, 700135, India
| | - Roumi Naskar
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Kolkata, 700135, India
| | - Sandipan Chakraborty
- Center for Innovation in Molecular and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CIMPS), Dr. Reddy's Institute of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, 500046, India
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Ghosh S, Singha PS, Das LK, Ghosh D. Systematic Review on Major Antiviral Phytocompounds from Common Medicinal Plants against SARS-CoV-2. Med Chem 2024; 20:613-629. [PMID: 38317467 DOI: 10.2174/0115734064262843231120051452] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Viral infections are rising around the globe and with evolving virus types and increasing varieties of viral invasions; the human body is developing antimicrobial resistance continuously. This is making the fight of mankind against viruses weak and unsecured. On the other hand, changing lifestyle, globalization and human activities adversely affecting the environment are opening up risks for new viral predominance on human race. In this context the world has witnessed the pandemic of the human Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recently. The disease is caused by the Coronavirus namely Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2). METHODS AND MATERIALS Developing potential and effective vaccine is also time consuming and challenging. The huge resource of plants around us has rich source of potent antiviral compounds. Some of these molecules may serve as tremendously potent lead molecules whose slight structural modifications may give us highly bioactive antiviral derivatives of phytocompounds. Every geographical region is rich in unique plant biodiversity and hence every corner of the world with rich plant biodiversity can serve as abode for potential magical phytocompounds most of which have not been extensively explored for development of antiviral drug formulations against various viruses like the HIV, HPV etc., and the Coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 which causes the disease COVID-19. RESULTS Several phytocompounds from various medicinal plants have already been screened using in silico tools and some of them have yielded promising results establishing themselves as potent lead molecules for development of drugs against the highly mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus and thus these phytocompounds may be beneficial in treating COVID-19 and help human to win the life threatening battle against the deadly virus. CONCLUSION The best advantage is that these phytocompounds being derived from nature in most of the cases, come with minimum or no side effects compared to that of chemically synthesized conventional bioactive compounds and are indigenously available hence are the source of cost effective drug formulations with strong therapeutic potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvendu Ghosh
- Department of Physiology, Hooghly Mohsin College, Chinsura, Hooghly 712 101, West Bengal, India
| | - Partha Sarathi Singha
- Department of Chemistry, Government General Degree College, Kharagpur II, P.O Madpur, Dist, Paschim Medinipur, Pin: 721149, West Bengal, India
| | - Lakshmi Kanta Das
- Department of Chemistry, Government General Degree College, Kharagpur II, P.O Madpur, Dist, Paschim Medinipur, Pin: 721149, West Bengal, India
| | - Debosree Ghosh
- Department of Physiology, Government General Degree College, Kharagpur II, P.O Madpur, Dist, Paschim Medinipur, Pin: 721149, West Bengal, India
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Occhiuzzi MA, Ioele G, De Luca M, Rizzuti B, Scordamaglia D, Lappano R, Maggiolini M, Garofalo A, Grande F. Dissecting CYP1A2 Activation by Arylalkanoic Acid Prodrugs toward the Development of Anti-Inflammatory Agents. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:435. [PMID: 38203608 PMCID: PMC10779369 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010435] [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: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Arylalkane-derived prodrugs of arylacetic acids are a small group of substances that have long been known for their anti-inflammatory action. Despite their ease of synthesis and good potential for the development of new potent and safe anti-inflammatory agents, this group of substances has not received much attention from researchers so far. Therefore, representative arylalkane derivatives were investigated through molecular docking techniques to verify the possible hepatic activation mode toward active metabolites by CYP1A2. In this regard, arylalkanoic acid prodrugs were docked with a crystallographic structure of human CYP1A2, in which the enzyme is co-crystallized with the selective competitive inhibitor α-naphthoflavone BHF. Of note, all the examined compounds proved capable of interacting with the enzyme active site in a manner similar to Nabumetone, thus confirming that a productive metabolic transformation is feasible. On the basis of these findings, it is possible to argue that subtle differences in the way CYP1A2 accommodates the ligands depend on the fine details of their molecular structures. Overall, these data suggest that compounds simply formed by an aromatic moiety bearing an appropriate alkane-derived chain could lead to innovative anti-inflammatory agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Antonietta Occhiuzzi
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Giuseppina Ioele
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Michele De Luca
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Bruno Rizzuti
- CNR-NANOTEC, SS Rende (CS), Department of Physics, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy
- Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Domenica Scordamaglia
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Rosamaria Lappano
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Marcello Maggiolini
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Antonio Garofalo
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
| | - Fedora Grande
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; (M.A.O.); (G.I.); (M.D.L.); (D.S.); (R.L.); (M.M.); (A.G.)
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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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9
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Farias SADS, Rocha KML, Nascimento ÉCM, de Jesus RDCC, Neres PR, Martins JBL. Docking and Electronic Structure of Rutin, Myricetin, and Baicalein Targeting 3CLpro. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15113. [PMID: 37894797 PMCID: PMC10606270 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015113] [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: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the role of 3CLpro protease for SARS-CoV-2 replication and knowing the potential of flavonoid molecules like rutin, myricetin, and baicalein against 3CLpro justify an investigation into their inhibition. This study investigates possible bonds and reactivity descriptors of rutin, myricetin, and baicalein through conformational and electronic properties. Density functional theory was used to determine possible interactions. Analyses were carried out through the molecular electrostatic potential, electron localization function, Fukui function descriptors based on frontier orbitals, and non-covalent interactions. A docking study was performed using a resolution of 1.55 Å for 3CLpro to analyze the interactions of rutin, myricetin, and baicalein. Scores of structures showed that rutin is the best ligand, followed by myricetin and baicalein. Docking studies showed that baicalein and rutin can establish effective interactions with residues of the catalytic dyad (Cys145 and His41), but just rutin forms a hydrogen bond. Myricetin, in turn, could not establish an effective interaction with Cys145. Baicalein interaction arose with active residues such as Arg188, Val186, Gln189, and Gln192. Interactions of rutin and myricetin with Arg188 and Gln189 were also found. A critical interaction was observed only for rutin with the hydroxyls of ring A with His41, and also for Cys145 with rings B and C, which is probably related to the highest score of rutin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A de S Farias
- Laboratory of Computational Simulations (LabIn02), Institute of Educational Sciences, Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém 68040-255, Pará, Brazil
| | - Kelvyn M L Rocha
- Instituto de Química, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Érica C M Nascimento
- Instituto de Química, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Rafael do C C de Jesus
- Instituto de Química, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Paulo R Neres
- Laboratory of Computational Simulations (LabIn02), Institute of Educational Sciences, Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém 68040-255, Pará, Brazil
| | - João B L Martins
- Instituto de Química, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Distrito Federal, Brazil
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Manickaraj SSM, Pandiyarajan S, Liao AH, Panneer Selvam AR, Huang ST, Vimala JR, Lee KY, Chuang HC. A new class of layered Bi 2O 2S nanopetals by one-pot supercritical-CO 2 approach: A reliable electrocatalyst for analgesic bioflavonoid detection. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 328:138534. [PMID: 37004821 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138534] [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: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Nanomaterials frequently draw a lot of interest in a variety of disciplines, including electrochemistry. Developing a reliable electrode modifier for the selective electrochemical detection of the analgesic bioflavonoid i.e., Rutinoside (RS) is a great challenge. Here in, we have explored the supercritical-CO2 (SC-CO2) mediated synthesis of bismuth oxysulfide (SC-BiOS) and reported it as a robust electrode modifier for the detection of RS. For a comparison study, the same preparation procedure was carried out in the conventional approach (C-BiS). The morphology, crystallography, optical, and elemental contribution analyses were characterized to understand the paradigm shift in the physicochemical properties between SC-BiOS and C-BiS. The results exposed the C-BiS had a nano-rod-like structure with a crystallite size of 11.57 nm; whereas the SC-BiOS had a nano-petal-like structure with a crystallite size of 9.03 nm. The B2g mode in the optical analysis confirms the formation of bismuth oxysulfide by the SC-CO2 method with the Pmnn space group. As an electrode modifier, the SC-BiOS achieved a higher effective surface area (0.074 cm2), higher electron transfer kinetics (0.13 cm s-1), and lower charge transfer resistance (403 Ω) than C-BiS. Further, it provided a wide linear range of 0.1-610.5 μM L-1 with a low detection and quantification limit of 9 and 30nM L-1 and an appreciable sensitivity of 0.706 μA μM-1 cm-2. The selectivity, repeatability, and real-time application towards the environmental water sample with a recovery of 98.87% were anticipated for the SC-BiOS. This SC-BiOS unlocks a fresh avenue to construct a design for the family of electrode modifiers utilized in electrochemical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shobana Sebastin Mary Manickaraj
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan
| | - Sabarison Pandiyarajan
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan
| | - Ai-Ho Liao
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, 106335, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 114201, Taiwan
| | - Angelin Rubavathi Panneer Selvam
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Tung Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan
| | - J Rosaline Vimala
- Department of Chemistry, Holy Cross College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Kuo-Yu Lee
- SV Probe Technology Co., Ltd., Zhubei City, Hsinchu County, 302, Taiwan
| | - Ho-Chiao Chuang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106344, Taiwan.
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11
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Mahmud AR, Ema TI, Siddiquee MFR, Shahriar A, Ahmed H, Mosfeq-Ul-Hasan M, Rahman N, Islam R, Uddin MR, Mizan MFR. Natural flavonols: actions, mechanisms, and potential therapeutic utility for various diseases. BENI-SUEF UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES 2023; 12:47. [PMID: 37216013 PMCID: PMC10183303 DOI: 10.1186/s43088-023-00387-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Flavonols are phytoconstituents of biological and medicinal importance. In addition to functioning as antioxidants, flavonols may play a role in antagonizing diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and viral and bacterial diseases. Quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, and fisetin are the major dietary flavonols. Quercetin is a potent scavenger of free radicals, providing protection from free radical damage and oxidation-associated diseases. Main body of the abstract An extensive literature review of specific databases (e.g., Pubmed, google scholar, science direct) were conducted using the keywords "flavonol," "quercetin," "antidiabetic," "antiviral," "anticancer," and "myricetin." Some studies concluded that quercetin is a promising antioxidant agent while kaempferol could be effective against human gastric cancer. In addition, kaempferol prevents apoptosis of pancreatic beta-cells via boosting the function and survival rate of the beta-cells, leading to increased insulin secretion. Flavonols also show potential as alternatives to conventional antibiotics, restricting viral infection by antagonizing the envelope proteins to block viral entry. Short conclusion There is substantial scientific evidence that high consumption of flavonols is associated with reduced risk of cancer and coronary diseases, free radical damage alleviation, tumor growth prevention, and insulin secretion improvement, among other diverse health benefits. Nevertheless, more studies are required to determine the appropriate dietary concentration, dose, and type of flavonol for a particular condition to prevent any adverse side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aar Rafi Mahmud
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902 Bangladesh
| | - Tanzila Ismail Ema
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, North South University, Dhaka, 1229 Bangladesh
| | | | - Asif Shahriar
- Department of Microbiology, Stamford University Bangladesh, 51 Siddeswari Road, Dhaka, 1217 Bangladesh
| | - Hossain Ahmed
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative (UODA), Dhaka, 1208 Bangladesh
| | - Md. Mosfeq-Ul-Hasan
- Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, 5200 Bangladesh
| | - Nova Rahman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Rahatul Islam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
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12
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Peralta-Moreno MN, Anton-Muñoz V, Ortega-Alarcon D, Jimenez-Alesanco A, Vega S, Abian O, Velazquez-Campoy A, Thomson TM, Granadino-Roldán JM, Machicado C, Rubio-Martinez J. Autochthonous Peruvian Natural Plants as Potential SARS-CoV-2 M pro Main Protease Inhibitors. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16040585. [PMID: 37111342 PMCID: PMC10146424 DOI: 10.3390/ph16040585] [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: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Over 750 million cases of COVID-19, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have been reported since the onset of the global outbreak. The need for effective treatments has spurred intensive research for therapeutic agents based on pharmaceutical repositioning or natural products. In light of prior studies asserting the bioactivity of natural compounds of the autochthonous Peruvian flora, the present study focuses on the identification SARS-CoV-2 Mpro main protease dimer inhibitors. To this end, a target-based virtual screening was performed over a representative set of Peruvian flora-derived natural compounds. The best poses obtained from the ensemble molecular docking process were selected. These structures were subjected to extensive molecular dynamics steps for the computation of binding free energies along the trajectory and evaluation of the stability of the complexes. The compounds exhibiting the best free energy behaviors were selected for in vitro testing, confirming the inhibitory activity of Hyperoside against Mpro, with a Ki value lower than 20 µM, presumably through allosteric modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Nuria Peralta-Moreno
- Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, and the Institut de Recerca en Quimica Teorica i Computacional (IQTCUB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vanessa Anton-Muñoz
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Jr. Puno 1002, Lima 15001, Peru
| | - David Ortega-Alarcon
- Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ana Jimenez-Alesanco
- Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Sonia Vega
- Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Olga Abian
- Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrian Velazquez-Campoy
- Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Timothy M Thomson
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Laboratorio de Investigación Traslacional y Biología Computacional, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía-LID, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Honorio Delgado 430, Lima 15102, Peru
| | - José Manuel Granadino-Roldán
- Departamento de Química Física y Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Jaén, Campus "Las Lagunillas" s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
| | - Claudia Machicado
- Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
- Laboratorio de Investigación Traslacional y Biología Computacional, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía-LID, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Honorio Delgado 430, Lima 15102, Peru
| | - Jaime Rubio-Martinez
- Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, and the Institut de Recerca en Quimica Teorica i Computacional (IQTCUB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Wang J, Zeng X, Yin D, Yin L, Shen X, Xu F, Dai Y, Pan X. In silico and in vitro evaluation of antiviral activity of wogonin against main protease of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1123650. [PMID: 37009514 PMCID: PMC10050881 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1123650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The high mortality rate of weaned piglets infected with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) poses a serious threat to the pig industry worldwide, demanding urgent research efforts related to developing effective antiviral drugs to prevent and treat PEDV infection. Small molecules can possibly prevent the spread of infection by targeting specific vital components of the pathogen’s genome. Main protease (Mpro, also named 3CL protease) plays essential roles in PEDV replication and has emerged as a promising target for the inhibition of PEDV. In this study, wogonin exhibited antiviral activity against a PEDV variant isolate, interacting with the PEDV particles and inhibiting the internalization, replication and release of PEDV. The molecular docking model indicated that wogonin was firmly embedded in the groove of the active pocket of Mpro. Furthermore, the interaction between wogonin and Mpro was validated in silico via microscale thermophoresis and surface plasmon resonance analyses. In addition, the results of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay indicated that wogonin exerted an inhibitory effect on Mpro. These findings provide useful insights into the antiviral activities of wogonin, which could support future research into anti-PEDV drugs.`
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieru Wang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zeng
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Dongdong Yin
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Lei Yin
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xuehuai Shen
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Fazhi Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Yin Dai
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaocheng Pan, ; Yin Dai,
| | - Xiaocheng Pan
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Product Safety Engineering, Livestock and Poultry Epidemic Diseases Research Center of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Pig Molecular Quantitative Genetics of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaocheng Pan, ; Yin Dai,
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14
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Comparative analysis of the reactivity of anthocyanidins, leucoanthocyanidins, and flavonols using a quantum chemistry approach. J Mol Model 2023; 29:93. [PMID: 36905478 PMCID: PMC10006565 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-023-05468-w] [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: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Anthocyanidins, leucoanthocyanidins, and flavonols are natural compounds mainly known due to their reported biological activities, such as antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory activities, and antioxidant activity. In the present study, we performed a comparative structural, conformational, electronic, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the reactivity of the chemical structure of primary anthocyanidins, leucoanthocyanidins, and flavonoids. We focused our analysis on the following molecular questions: (i) differences in cyanidin catechols ( +)-catechin, leucocyanidin, and quercetin; (ii) the loss of hydroxyl presents in the R1 radical of leucoanthocyanidin in the functional groups linked to C4 (ring C); and (iii) the electron affinity of the 3-hydroxyl group (R7) in the flavonoids delphinidin, pelargonidin, cyanidin, quercetin, and kaempferol. We show unprecedented results for bond critical point (BCP) of leucopelargonidin and leucodelphirinidin. The BCP formed between hydroxyl hydrogen (R2) and ketone oxygen (R1) of kaempferol has the same degrees of covalence of quercetin. Kaempferol and quercetin exhibited localized electron densities between hydroxyl hydrogen (R2) and ketone oxygen (R1). Global molecular descriptors showed quercetin and leucocyanidin are the most reactive flavonoids in electrophilic reactions. Complementary, anthocyanidins are the most reactive in nucleophilic reactions, while the smallest gap occurs in delphinidin. Local descriptors indicate that anthocyanidins and flavonols are more prone to electrophilic attacks, while in leucoanthocyanidins, the most susceptible to attack are localized in the ring A. The ring C of anthocyanidins is more aromatic than the same found in flavonols and leucoanthocyanidins. METHODS: For the analysis of the molecular properties, we used the DFT to evaluate the formation of the covalent bonds and intermolecular forces. CAM-B3LYP functional with the def2TZV basis set was used for the geometry optimization. A broad analysis of quantum properties was performed using the assessment of the molecular electrostatic potential surface, electron localization function, Fukui functions, descriptors constructed from frontier orbitals, and nucleus independent chemical shift.
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15
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Quintal Martínez JP, Segura Campos MR. Flavonoids as a therapeutical option for the treatment of thrombotic complications associated with COVID-19. Phytother Res 2023; 37:1092-1114. [PMID: 36480428 PMCID: PMC9878134 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has been one of the largest public health crises globally, while thrombotic complications have emerged as an important factor contributing to mortality. Therefore, compounds that regulate the processes involved in thrombosis could represent a dietary strategy to prevent thrombotic complications involved in COVID-19. In August 2022, various databases were consulted using the keywords "flavonoids", "antiplatelet", "anticoagulant", "fibrinolytic", and "nitric oxide". Studies conducted between 2019 and 2022 were chosen. Flavonoids, at concentrations mainly between 2 and 300 μM, are capable of regulating platelet aggregation, blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, and nitric oxide production due to their action on multiple receptors and enzymes. Most of the studies have been carried out through in vitro and in silico models, and limited studies have reported the in vivo and clinical effect of flavonoids. Currently, quercetin has been the only flavonoid evaluated clinically in patients with COVID-19 for its effect on D-dimer levels. Therefore, clinical studies in COVID-19 patients analyzing the effect on platelet, coagulant, fibrinolytic, and nitric oxide parameters are required. In addition, further high-quality studies that consider cytotoxic safety and bioavailability are required to firmly propose flavonoids as a treatment for the thrombotic complications implicated in COVID-19.
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16
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Ujjan ID, Khan S, Nigar R, Ahmed H, Ahmad S, Khan A. The possible therapeutic role of curcumin and quercetin in the early-stage of COVID-19-Results from a pragmatic randomized clinical trial. Front Nutr 2023; 9:1023997. [PMID: 36742008 PMCID: PMC9889936 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1023997] [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: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Curcumin (CUR) and quercetin (QUE), two natural polyphenols, possess diverse biological activities including broad-spectrum antiviral, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects. Both CUR and QUE have shown inhibition of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in in vitro assays. Objective In the present study we aimed to assess the possible treatment benefits of a combined curcumin and quercetin (CUR-QUE) oral supplement, alongside standard of care (SOC), in the early-stage COVID-19 infection. Methods This was an exploratory, pragmatic, open-label, randomized controlled clinical trial, conducted at the Department of Pathology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, PK. The study compared the treatment effect of an oral CUR-QUE supplement plus SOC vs. SOC alone, in the early-stage/mild to moderately symptomatic COVID-19 outpatients. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to CUR-QUE (n = 25) and control (n = 25) treatment groups. The CUR-QUE supplementation consisted of a daily intake of 168 mg curcumin and 260 mg quercetin, as two soft capsules, to be taken twice a day at home for 14 days. Results After one-week of treatment, most of the patients in the CUR-QUE group showed an expedited clearance of the viral infection i.e., 18 (72.0%) vs. 6 (24.0%) patients in the control group tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 in the nasal-oropharyngeal swab reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis (p = 0.0002). In addition, COVID-19-associated acute symptoms were also speedily resolved in the CUR-QUE treated patients, i.e., 10 (40.0%) vs. 4 (16.0%) patients in the control group (p = 0.061). The CUR-QUE supplementation therapy was well-tolerated by all 25 patients and no treatment-emergent effects or serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion The results revealed in this exploratory study suggest a possible therapeutic role of curcumin and quercetin in the early-stage of COVID-19. It is proposed that the two agents possibly acting in synergy, interfere the SARS-CoV-2 replication, and thus help a speedy recovery in the early-stage of COVID-19. Further research is highly encouraged. Clinical trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier NCT04603690.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikram Din Ujjan
- Department of Pathology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | - Saeed Khan
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Roohi Nigar
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Bilawal Medical College, LUMHS, Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | | | - Sagheer Ahmad
- Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Amjad Khan
- Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Amjad Khan,
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Khamto N, Utama K, Tateing S, Sangthong P, Rithchumpon P, Cheechana N, Saiai A, Semakul N, Punyodom W, Meepowpan P. Discovery of Natural Bisbenzylisoquinoline Analogs from the Library of Thai Traditional Plants as SARS-CoV-2 3CL Pro Inhibitors: In Silico Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics, and In Vitro Enzymatic Activity. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:2104-2121. [PMID: 36647612 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019 has become a global issue due to the continuous upsurge in patients and the lack of drug efficacy for treatment. SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro is one of the most intriguing biomolecular targets among scientists worldwide for developing antiviral drugs due to its relevance in viral replication and transcription. Herein, we utilized computer-assisted drug screening to investigate 326 natural products from Thai traditional plants using structure-based virtual screening against SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro. Following the virtual screening, the top 15 compounds based on binding energy and their interactions with key amino acid Cys145 were obtained. Subsequently, they were further evaluated for protein-ligand complex stability via molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculation using molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) approaches. Following drug-likeness and ADME/Tox assessments, seven bisbenzylisoquinolines were obtained, including neferine (3), liensinine (4), isoliensinine (5), dinklacorine (8), tiliacorinine (13), 2'-nortiliacorinine (14), and yanangcorinine (15). These compounds computationally showed a higher binding affinity than native N3 and GC-373 inhibitors and attained stable interactions on the active site of 3CLpro during 100 ns in molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Moreover, the in vitro enzymatic assay showed that most bisbenzylisoquinolines could experimentally inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro. To our delight, isoliensinine (5) isolated from Nelumbo nucifera demonstrated the highest inhibition of protease activity with the IC50 value of 29.93 μM with low toxicity on Vero cells. Our findings suggested that bisbenzylisoquinoline scaffolds could be potentially used as an in vivo model for the development of effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nopawit Khamto
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Kraikrit Utama
- Interdisciplinary Program in Biotechnology, Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Research Center on Chemistry for Development of Health Promoting Products from Northern Resources, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Suriya Tateing
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Padchanee Sangthong
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Research Center on Chemistry for Development of Health Promoting Products from Northern Resources, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Puracheth Rithchumpon
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Nathaporn Cheechana
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Aroonchai Saiai
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Natthawat Semakul
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Research Center on Chemistry for Development of Health Promoting Products from Northern Resources, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Winita Punyodom
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
| | - Puttinan Meepowpan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand.,Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand
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18
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Di Pierro F, Khan A, Iqtadar S, Mumtaz SU, Chaudhry MNA, Bertuccioli A, Derosa G, Maffioli P, Togni S, Riva A, Allegrini P, Recchia M, Zerbinati N. Quercetin as a possible complementary agent for early-stage COVID-19: Concluding results of a randomized clinical trial. Front Pharmacol 2023; 13:1096853. [PMID: 36712674 PMCID: PMC9880293 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1096853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Quercetin, a natural polyphenol with demonstrated broad-spectrum antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, has been proposed as an adjuvant for early-stage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Objective: To explore the possible therapeutic effect of quercetin in outpatients with early-stage mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. Methods: This was an open-label randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at the department of medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, PK. Patients were randomized to receive either standard of care (SC) plus an oral quercetin supplement (500 mg Quercetin Phytosome®, 1st week, TDS: 2nd week, BDS) (n = 50, quercetin group) or SC alone (n = 50, control group). Results: After one week of treatment, patients in the quercetin group showed a speedy recovery from COVID-19 as compared to the control group, i.e., 34 patients (vs. 12 in the control group) tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (p = 0.0004), and 26 patients (vs. 12 in the control group) had their COVID-19-associated acute symptoms resolved (p = 0.0051). Patients in the quercetin group also showed a significant fall in the serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) mean values i.e., from 406.56 ± 183.92 to 257.74 ± 110.73 U/L, p = 0.0001. Quercetin was well-tolerated by all the 50 patients, and no side effects were reported. Conclusion: Our results, suggest the possible therapeutic role of quercetin in early-stage COVID-19, including speedy clearance of SARS-CoV-2, early resolution of the acute symptoms and modulation of the host's hyperinflammatory response. Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04861298.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Di Pierro
- Scientific and Research Department, Velleja Research, Milan, Italy,Digestive Endoscopy, Fondazione Poliambulanza, Brescia, Italy,*Correspondence: Francesco Di Pierro, ; Amjad Khan,
| | - Amjad Khan
- INEOS Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Francesco Di Pierro, ; Amjad Khan,
| | - Somia Iqtadar
- Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Sami Ullah Mumtaz
- Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | | | - Giuseppe Derosa
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy,R&D Department, Indena S.p.A, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Nicola Zerbinati
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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19
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Meng JR, Liu J, Fu L, Shu T, Yang L, Zhang X, Jiang ZH, Bai LP. Anti-Entry Activity of Natural Flavonoids against SARS-CoV-2 by Targeting Spike RBD. Viruses 2023; 15:160. [PMID: 36680200 PMCID: PMC9862759 DOI: 10.3390/v15010160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 is still a global public health concern, and the SARS-CoV-2 mutations require more effective antiviral agents. In this study, the antiviral entry activity of thirty-one flavonoids was systematically evaluated by a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus model. Twenty-four flavonoids exhibited antiviral entry activity with IC50 values ranging from 10.27 to 172.63 µM and SI values ranging from 2.33 to 48.69. The structure-activity relationship of these flavonoids as SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors was comprehensively summarized. A subsequent biolayer interferometry assay indicated that flavonoids bind to viral spike RBD to block viral interaction with ACE2 receptor, and a molecular docking study also revealed that flavonols could bind to Pocket 3, the non-mutant regions of SARS-CoV-2 variants, suggesting that flavonols might be also active against virus variants. These natural flavonoids showed very low cytotoxic effects on human normal cell lines. Our findings suggested that natural flavonoids might be potential antiviral entry agents against SARS-CoV-2 via inactivating the viral spike. It is hoped that our study will provide some encouraging evidence for the use of natural flavonoids as disinfectants to prevent viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Ru Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Respiratory Infectious Disease, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, China
| | - Jiazheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Respiratory Infectious Disease, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, China
| | - Lu Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Respiratory Infectious Disease, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, China
| | - Tong Shu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Lingzhi Yang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xueji Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Zhi-Hong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Respiratory Infectious Disease, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, China
| | - Li-Ping Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Respiratory Infectious Disease, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, China
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20
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Guerra Y, Celi D, Cueva P, Perez-Castillo Y, Giampieri F, Alvarez-Suarez JM, Tejera E. Critical Review of Plant-Derived Compounds as Possible Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Proteases: A Comparison with Experimentally Validated Molecules. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:44542-44555. [PMID: 36530229 PMCID: PMC9753184 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c05766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ever since coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the WHO, a concerted effort has been made to find compounds capable of acting on the virus and preventing its replication. In this context, researchers have refocused part of their attention on certain natural compounds that have shown promising effects on the virus. Considering the importance of this topic in the current context, this study aimed to present a critical review and analysis of the main reports of plant-derived compounds as possible inhibitors of the two SARS-CoV-2 proteases: main protease (Mpro) and Papain-like protease (PLpro). From the search in the PubMed database, a total of 165 published articles were found that met the search patterns. A total of 590 unique molecules were identified from a total of 122 articles as potential protease inhibitors. At the same time, 114 molecules reported as natural products and with annotation of theoretical support and antiviral effects were extracted from the COVID-19 Help database. After combining the molecules extracted from articles and those obtained from the database, we identified 648 unique molecules predicted as potential inhibitors of Mpro and/or PLpro. According to our results, several of the predicted compounds with higher theoretical confidence are present in many plants used in traditional medicine and even food, such as flavonoids, carboxylic acids, phenolic acids, triterpenes, terpenes phytosterols, and triterpenoids. These are potential inhibitors of Mpro and PLpro. Although the predictions of several molecules against SARS-CoV-2 are promising, little experimental information was found regarding certain families of compounds. Only 45 out of the 648 unique molecules have experimental data validating them as inhibitors of Mpro or PLpro, with the most frequent scaffold present in these 45 compounds being the flavone. The novelty of this work lies in the analysis of the structural diversity of the chemical space among the molecules predicted as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and PLpro proteases and the comparison to those molecules experimentally validated. This work emphasizes the need for experimental validation of certain families of compounds, preferentially combining classical enzymatic assays with interaction-based methods. Furthermore, we recommend checking the presence of Pan-Assay Interference Compounds (PAINS) and the presence of molecules previously reported as inhibitors of Mpro or PLpro to optimize resources and time in the discovery of new SARS-CoV-2 antivirals from plant-derived molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasel Guerra
- Ingeniería
en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias
Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Grupo
de Bio-Quimioinformática, Universidad
de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Diana Celi
- Facultad
de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Paul Cueva
- Facultad
de Posgrado, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Yunierkis Perez-Castillo
- Grupo
de Bio-Quimioinformática, Universidad
de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Área
de Ciencias Aplicadas, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
| | - Francesca Giampieri
- Department
of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King
Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Research
Group on Food, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander 39011, Spain
| | - José Miguel Alvarez-Suarez
- Departamento
de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Colegio de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170157, Ecuador
- King
Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz
University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Eduardo Tejera
- Ingeniería
en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias
Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
- Grupo
de Bio-Quimioinformática, Universidad
de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador
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21
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Rieder AS, Deniz BF, Netto CA, Wyse ATS. A Review of In Silico Research, SARS-CoV-2, and Neurodegeneration: Focus on Papain-Like Protease. Neurotox Res 2022; 40:1553-1569. [PMID: 35917086 PMCID: PMC9343570 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-022-00542-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Since the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the search for new approaches to treat this disease took place in the scientific community. The in silico approach has gained importance at this moment, once the methodologies used in this kind of study allow for the identification of specific protein-ligand interactions, which may serve as a filter step for molecules that can act as specific inhibitors. In addition, it is a low-cost and high-speed technology. Molecular docking has been widely used to find potential viral protein inhibitors for structural and non-structural proteins of the SARS-CoV-2, aiming to block the infection and the virus multiplication. The papain-like protease (PLpro) participates in the proteolytic processing of SARS-CoV-2 and composes one of the main targets studied for pharmacological intervention by in silico methodologies. Based on that, we performed a systematic review about PLpro inhibitors from the perspective of in silico research, including possible therapeutic molecules in relation to this viral protein. The neurological problems triggered by COVID-19 were also briefly discussed, especially relative to the similarities of neuroinflammation present in Alzheimer's disease. In this context, we focused on two molecules, curcumin and glycyrrhizinic acid, given their PLpro inhibitory actions and neuroprotective properties and potential therapeutic effects on COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra S Rieder
- Laboratory of Neuroprotection and Neurometabolic Diseases, Wyse's Lab, Department of Biochemistry, ICBS, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2600-Anexo, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil
| | - Bruna F Deniz
- Laboratory of Neuroprotection and Neurometabolic Diseases, Wyse's Lab, Department of Biochemistry, ICBS, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2600-Anexo, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil
| | - Carlos Alexandre Netto
- Laboratory of Neuroprotection and Neurometabolic Diseases, Wyse's Lab, Department of Biochemistry, ICBS, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2600-Anexo, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil
| | - Angela T S Wyse
- Laboratory of Neuroprotection and Neurometabolic Diseases, Wyse's Lab, Department of Biochemistry, ICBS, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2600-Anexo, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil.
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22
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Minetti CA, Remeta DP. Forces Driving a Magic Bullet to Its Target: Revisiting the Role of Thermodynamics in Drug Design, Development, and Optimization. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:1438. [PMID: 36143474 PMCID: PMC9504344 DOI: 10.3390/life12091438] [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: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery strategies have advanced significantly towards prioritizing target selectivity to achieve the longstanding goal of identifying "magic bullets" amongst thousands of chemical molecules screened for therapeutic efficacy. A myriad of emerging and existing health threats, including the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, alarming increase in bacterial resistance, and potentially fatal chronic ailments, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration, have incentivized the discovery of novel therapeutics in treatment regimens. The design, development, and optimization of lead compounds represent an arduous and time-consuming process that necessitates the assessment of specific criteria and metrics derived via multidisciplinary approaches incorporating functional, structural, and energetic properties. The present review focuses on specific methodologies and technologies aimed at advancing drug development with particular emphasis on the role of thermodynamics in elucidating the underlying forces governing ligand-target interaction selectivity and specificity. In the pursuit of novel therapeutics, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has been utilized extensively over the past two decades to bolster drug discovery efforts, yielding information-rich thermodynamic binding signatures. A wealth of studies recognizes the need for mining thermodynamic databases to critically examine and evaluate prospective drug candidates on the basis of available metrics. The ultimate power and utility of thermodynamics within drug discovery strategies reside in the characterization and comparison of intrinsic binding signatures that facilitate the elucidation of structural-energetic correlations which assist in lead compound identification and optimization to improve overall therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conceição A. Minetti
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - David P. Remeta
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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23
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Hu Q, Xiong Y, Zhu G, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Huang P, Ge G. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M pro): Structure, function, and emerging therapies for COVID-19. MedComm (Beijing) 2022; 3:e151. [PMID: 35845352 PMCID: PMC9283855 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The main proteases (Mpro), also termed 3-chymotrypsin-like proteases (3CLpro), are a class of highly conserved cysteine hydrolases in β-coronaviruses. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that 3CLpros play an indispensable role in viral replication and have been recognized as key targets for preventing and treating coronavirus-caused infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This review is focused on the structural features and biological function of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease Mpro (also known as 3CLpro), as well as recent advances in discovering and developing SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors. To better understand the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors, the inhibition activities, inhibitory mechanisms, and key structural features of various 3CLpro inhibitors (including marketed drugs, peptidomimetic, and non-peptidomimetic synthetic compounds, as well as natural compounds and their derivatives) are summarized comprehensively. Meanwhile, the challenges in this field are highlighted, while future directions for designing and developing efficacious 3CLpro inhibitors as novel anti-coronavirus therapies are also proposed. Collectively, all information and knowledge presented here are very helpful for understanding the structural features and inhibitory mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitors, which offers new insights or inspiration to medicinal chemists for designing and developing more efficacious 3CLpro inhibitors as novel anti-coronavirus agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Hu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical BiologyInstitute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine ResearchShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
- Clinical Pharmacy CenterCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical College, HangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Yuan Xiong
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical BiologyInstitute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine ResearchShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Guang‐Hao Zhu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical BiologyInstitute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine ResearchShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Ya‐Ni Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical BiologyInstitute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine ResearchShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Yi‐Wen Zhang
- Clinical Pharmacy CenterCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical College, HangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Ping Huang
- Clinical Pharmacy CenterCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical College, HangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Guang‐Bo Ge
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical BiologyInstitute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine ResearchShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
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24
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Piplani S, Singh P, Winkler DA, Petrovsky N. Potential COVID-19 Therapies from Computational Repurposing of Drugs and Natural Products against the SARS-CoV-2 Helicase. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:7704. [PMID: 35887049 PMCID: PMC9322913 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Repurposing of existing drugs is a rapid way to find potential new treatments for SARS-CoV-2. Here, we applied a virtual screening approach using Autodock Vina and molecular dynamic simulation in tandem to screen and calculate binding energies of repurposed drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 helicase protein (non-structural protein nsp13). Amongst the top hits from our study were antivirals, antihistamines, and antipsychotics, plus a range of other drugs. Approximately 30% of our top 87 hits had published evidence indicating in vivo or in vitro SARS-CoV-2 activity. Top hits not previously reported to have SARS-CoV-2 activity included the antiviral agents, cabotegravir and RSV-604; the NK1 antagonist, aprepitant; the trypanocidal drug, aminoquinuride; the analgesic, antrafenine; the anticancer intercalator, epirubicin; the antihistamine, fexofenadine; and the anticoagulant, dicoumarol. These hits from our in silico SARS-CoV-2 helicase screen warrant further testing as potential COVID-19 treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakshi Piplani
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., 11 Walkley Avenue, Adelaide 5046, Australia; (S.P.); (P.S.)
| | - Puneet Singh
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., 11 Walkley Avenue, Adelaide 5046, Australia; (S.P.); (P.S.)
| | - David A. Winkler
- Biochemistry and Chemistry Department, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Melbourne 3086, Australia;
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Nikolai Petrovsky
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., 11 Walkley Avenue, Adelaide 5046, Australia; (S.P.); (P.S.)
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Flinders Medical Centre, Flinders University, 1 Flinders Drive, Adelaide 5042, Australia
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25
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Ethnobotanical Uses, Phytochemistry, Toxicology, and Pharmacological Properties of Euphorbia neriifolia Linn. against Infectious Diseases: A Comprehensive Review. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27144374. [PMID: 35889247 PMCID: PMC9319654 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Medicinal plants have considerable potential as antimicrobial agents due to the presence of secondary metabolites. This comprehensive overview aims to summarize the classification, morphology, and ethnobotanical uses of Euphorbia neriifolia L. and its derived phytochemicals with the recent updates on the pharmacological properties against emerging infectious diseases, mainly focusing on bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections. The data were collected from electronic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink by utilizing several keywords like 'Euphorbia neriifolia', 'phytoconstituents', 'traditional uses', 'ethnopharmacological uses', 'infectious diseases', 'molecular mechanisms', 'COVID-19', 'bacterial infection', 'viral infection', etc. The results related to the antimicrobial actions of these plant extracts and their derived phytochemicals were carefully reviewed and summarized. Euphol, monohydroxy triterpene, nerifoliol, taraxerol, β-amyrin, glut-5-(10)-en-1-one, neriifolione, and cycloartenol are the leading secondary metabolites reported in phytochemical investigations. These chemicals have been shown to possess a wide spectrum of biological functions. Different extracts of E. neriifolia exerted antimicrobial activities against various pathogens to different extents. Moreover, major phytoconstituents present in this plant, such as quercetin, rutin, friedelin, taraxerol, epitaraxerol, taraxeryl acetate, 3β-friedelanol, 3β-acetoxy friedelane, 3β-simiarenol, afzelin, 24-methylene cycloarenol, ingenol triacetate, and β-amyrin, showed significant antimicrobial activities against various pathogens that are responsible for emerging infectious diseases. This plant and the phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, and alkaloids, have been found to have significant antimicrobial properties. The current evidence suggests that they might be used as leads in the development of more effective drugs to treat emerging infectious diseases, including the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
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Khan A, Iqtadar S, Mumtaz SU, Heinrich M, Pascual-Figal DA, Livingstone S, Abaidullah S. Oral Co-Supplementation of Curcumin, Quercetin, and Vitamin D3 as an Adjuvant Therapy for Mild to Moderate Symptoms of COVID-19—Results From a Pilot Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:898062. [PMID: 35747751 PMCID: PMC9211374 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.898062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Curcumin, quercetin, and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) are common natural ingredients of human nutrition and reportedly exhibit promising anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, broad-spectrum antiviral, and antioxidant activities. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the possible therapeutic benefits of a single oral formulation containing supplements curcumin, quercetin, and cholecalciferol (combinedly referred to here as CQC) as an adjuvant therapy for early-stage of symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a pilot open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted at Mayo Hospital, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed, mild to moderate symptomatic COVID-19 outpatients were randomized to receive either the standard of care (SOC) (n = 25) (control arm) or a daily oral co-supplementation of 168 mg curcumin, 260 mg quercetin, and 9 µg (360 IU) of cholecalciferol, as two oral soft capsules b.i.d. as an add-on to the SOC (n = 25) (CQC arm) for 14 days. The SOC includes paracetamol with or without antibiotic (azithromycin). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR test, acute symptoms, and biochemistry including C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, and complete blood count were evaluated at baseline and follow-up day seven. Results: Patients who received the CQC adjuvant therapy showed expedited negativization of the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test, i.e., 15 (60.0%) vs. five (20.0%) of the control arm, p = 0.009. COVID-19- associated acute symptoms were rapidly resolved in the CQC arm, i.e., 15 (60.0%) vs. 10 (40.0%) of the control arm, p = 0.154. Patients in the CQC arm experienced a greater fall in serum CRP levels, i.e., from (median (IQR) 34.0 (21.0, 45.0) to 11.0 (5.0, 16.0) mg/dl as compared to the control arm, i.e., from 36.0 (28.0, 47.0) to 22.0 (15.0, 25.0) mg/dl, p = 0.006. The adjuvant therapy of co-supplementation of CQC was safe and well-tolerated by all 25 patients and no treatment-emergent effects, complications, side effects, or serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: The co-supplementation of CQC may possibly have a therapeutic role in the early stage of COVID-19 infection including speedy negativization of the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test, resolution of acute symptoms, and modulation of the hyperinflammatory response. In combination with routine care, the adjuvant co-supplementation of CQC may possibly help in the speedy recovery from early-stage mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. Further research is warranted. Clinical Trial Registration:Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT05130671
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Affiliation(s)
- Amjad Khan
- INEOS Oxford Institute for AMR Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemistry, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
- *Correspondence: Amjad Khan,
| | - Somia Iqtadar
- Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Sami Ullah Mumtaz
- Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Michael Heinrich
- UCL School of Pharmacy, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Domingo A. Pascual-Figal
- Department of Cardiology, University of Murcia Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Sajid Abaidullah
- Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan
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27
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Alizadeh SR, Ebrahimzadeh MA. O-substituted quercetin derivatives: Structural classification, drug design, development, and biological activities, a review. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.132392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Kreft I, Germ M, Golob A, Vombergar B, Bonafaccia F, Luthar Z. Impact of Rutin and Other Phenolic Substances on the Digestibility of Buckwheat Grain Metabolites. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:3923. [PMID: 35409281 PMCID: PMC8999605 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) is grown in eastern and central Asia (the Himalayan regions of China, Nepal, Bhutan and India) and in central and eastern Europe (Luxemburg, Germany, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina). It is known for its high concentration of rutin and other phenolic metabolites. Besides the grain, the other aboveground parts of Tartary buckwheat contain rutin as well. After the mixing of the milled buckwheat products with water, the flavonoid quercetin is obtained in the flour-water mixture, a result of rutin degradation by rutinosidase. Heating by hot water or steam inactivates the rutin-degrading enzymes in buckwheat flour and dough. The low buckwheat protein digestibility is due to the high content of phenolic substances. Phenolic compounds have low absorption after food intake, so, after ingestion, they remain for some time in the gastrointestinal tract. They can act in an inhibitory manner on enzymes, degrading proteins and other food constituents. In common and Tartary buckwheat, the rutin and quercetin complexation with protein and starch molecules has an impact on the in vitro digestibility and the appearance of resistant starch and slowly digestible proteins. Slowly digestible starch and proteins are important for the functional and health-promoting properties of buckwheat products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Kreft
- Nutrition Institute, Tržaška 40, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (A.G.); (F.B.)
| | - Mateja Germ
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (A.G.); (F.B.)
| | - Aleksandra Golob
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (A.G.); (F.B.)
| | - Blanka Vombergar
- The Education Centre Piramida Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
| | - Francesco Bonafaccia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (A.G.); (F.B.)
| | - Zlata Luthar
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.G.); (A.G.); (F.B.)
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Bahun M, Jukić M, Oblak D, Kranjc L, Bajc G, Butala M, Bozovičar K, Bratkovič T, Podlipnik Č, Poklar Ulrih N. Inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro main protease by plant polyphenols. Food Chem 2022; 373:131594. [PMID: 34838409 PMCID: PMC8592230 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The abundance of polyphenols in edible plants makes them an important component of human nutrition. Considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a number of studies have investigated polyphenols as bioactive constituents. We applied in-silico molecular docking as well as molecular dynamics supported by in-vitro assays to determine the inhibitory potential of various plant polyphenols against an important SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic target, the protease 3CLpro. Of the polyphenols in initial in-vitro screening, quercetin, ellagic acid, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate and resveratrol showed IC50 values of 11.8 µM to 23.4 µM. In-silico molecular dynamics simulations indicated stable interactions with the 3CLpro active site over 100 ns production runs. Moreover, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy was used to measure the binding of polyphenols to 3CLpro in real time. Therefore, we provide evidence for inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro by natural plant polyphenols, and suggest further research into the development of these novel 3CLpro inhibitors or biochemical probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miha Bahun
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marko Jukić
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Chemical Thermodynamics, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia; Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia
| | - Domen Oblak
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Luka Kranjc
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Bajc
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matej Butala
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Krištof Bozovičar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tomaž Bratkovič
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Črtomir Podlipnik
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Nataša Poklar Ulrih
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Centre of Excellence for Integrated Approaches in Chemistry and Biology of Proteins (CIPKeBiP), SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Rizzuti B. Molecular simulations of proteins: From simplified physical interactions to complex biological phenomena. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2022; 1870:140757. [PMID: 35051666 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2022.140757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulation is the most popular computational technique for investigating the structural and dynamical behaviour of proteins, in search of the molecular basis of their function. Far from being a completely settled field of research, simulations are still evolving to best capture the essential features of the atomic interactions that govern a protein's inner motions. Modern force fields are becoming increasingly accurate in providing a physical description adequate to this purpose, and allow us to model complex biological systems under fairly realistic conditions. Furthermore, the use of accelerated sampling techniques is improving our access to the observation of progressively larger molecular structures, longer time scales, and more hidden functional events. In this review, the basic principles of molecular dynamics simulations and a number of key applications in the area of protein science are summarized, and some of the most important results are discussed. Examples include the study of the structure, dynamics and binding properties of 'difficult' targets, such as intrinsically disordered proteins and membrane receptors, and the investigation of challenging phenomena like hydration-driven processes and protein aggregation. The findings described provide an overall picture of the current state of this research field, and indicate new perspectives on the road ahead to the upcoming future of molecular simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Rizzuti
- CNR-NANOTEC, SS Rende (CS), Department of Physics, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy; Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit GBsC-CSIC-BIFI, University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain.
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Al-Shuhaib MBS, Hashim HO, Al-Shuhaib JMB, Obayes DH. Artecanin of Laurus nobilis is a novel inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 main protease with highly desirable druglikeness. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 41:2355-2367. [PMID: 35067202 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2030801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Main protease (Mpro) is a critical enzyme in the life cycle of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus -2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to its essential role in the maturation of the polyproteins, the necessity to inhibit Mpro is one of the essential means to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19. In this context, this study was conducted on the natural compounds of medicinal plants that are commonly available in the Middle East to find out the most potent one to inhibit Mpro with the best bioavailability and druglikeness properties. A total of 3392 compounds of sixty-six medicinal plants were retrieved from PubChem database and docked against Mpro. Thirty compounds with the highest docking scores with Mpro were chosen for further virtual screening. Variable druglikeness and toxicity potentials of these compounds were evaluated using SwissADME and Protox servers respectively. Out of these virtually screened compounds, artecanin was predicted to exhibit the most favourable druglikeness potentials, accompanied by no predicted hepatoxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and cytotoxicity. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations showed that Mpro-artecanin complex exhibited comparable stability with that observed in the ligand-free Mpro. This study revealed for the first time that artecanin from Laurus nobilis provided a novel static and dynamic inhibition for Mpro with excellent safety, oral bioavailability, and pharmacokinetic profile. This study suggested the ability of artecanin to be used as a potential natural inhibitor that can be used to block or at least counteract the SARS-CoV-2 invasion.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hayder O. Hashim
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Babylon, Babil, Iraq
| | | | - Daniel H. Obayes
- Babylon Directorate of Education, Ministry of Education, Babil, Iraq
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Zaki AA, Ashour A, Elhady SS, Darwish KM, Al-Karmalawy AA. Calendulaglycoside A showing potential activity against SARS-CoV-2 main protease: Molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and SAR studies. J Tradit Complement Med 2022; 12:16-34. [PMID: 34026584 PMCID: PMC8126476 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2021.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM The discovery of drugs capable of inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 is a priority for human beings due to the severity of the global health pandemic caused by COVID-19. To this end, natural products can provide therapeutic alternatives that could be employed as an effective safe treatment for COVID-19. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Twelve compounds were isolated from the aerial parts of C. officinalis L. and investigated for their inhibitory activities against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro compared to its co-crystallized N3 inhibitor using molecular docking studies. Furthermore, a 100 ns MD simulation was performed for the most active two promising compounds, Calendulaglycoside A (SAP5) and Osteosaponin-I (SAP8). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION At first, molecular docking studies showed interesting binding scores as compared to the N3 inhibitor. Calendulaglycoside A (SAP5) achieved a superior binding than the co-crystallized inhibitor indicating promising affinity and intrinsic activity towards the Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 as well. Moreover, findings illustrated preferential stability for SAP5 within the Mpro pocket over that of N3 beyond the 40 ns MD simulation course. Structural preferentiality for triterpene-Mpro binding highlights the significant role of 17β-glucosyl and carboxylic 3α-galactosyl I moieties through high electrostatic interactions across the MD simulation trajectories. Furthermore, this study clarified a promising SAR responsible for the antiviral activity against the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and the design of new drug candidates targeting it as well. The above findings could be promising for fast examining the previously isolated triterpenes both pre-clinically and clinically for the treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A. Zaki
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University-Egypt, New Damietta, 34518, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Ashour
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University-Egypt, New Damietta, 34518, Egypt
| | - Sameh S. Elhady
- Department of Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khaled M. Darwish
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A. Al-Karmalawy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University-Egypt, New Damietta, 34518, Egypt
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Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) plays a crucial role in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication and is highly conserved, rendering it one of the most attractive therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 inhibition. Currently, although two drug candidates targeting SARS-CoV-2 Mpro designed by Pfizer are under clinical trials, no SARS-CoV-2 medication is approved due to the long period of drug development. Here, we collect a comprehensive list of 817 available SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV Mpro inhibitors from the literature or databases and analyze their molecular mechanisms of action. The structure-activity relationships (SARs) among each series of inhibitors are discussed. Additionally, we broadly examine available antiviral activity, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity), and animal tests of these inhibitors. We comment on their druggability or drawbacks that prevent them from becoming drugs. This Perspective sheds light on the future development of Mpro inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 and future coronavirus diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaifu Gao
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Jetze J Tepe
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacology & Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Faqing Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406, United States
| | - Guo-Wei Wei
- Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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Kim M, Cho H, Ahn DG, Jung HG, Seo HY, Kim JS, Lee YJ, Choi JY, Park IH, Shin JS, Kim SJ, Oh JW. In Vitro Replication Inhibitory Activity of Xanthorrhizol against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9111725. [PMID: 34829954 PMCID: PMC8615586 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9111725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of the large number of repositioned drugs and direct-acting antivirals in clinical trials for the management of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are few cost-effective therapeutic options for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (SCoV2) infection. In this paper, we show that xanthorrhizol (XNT), a bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid compound isolated from the Curcuma xanthorrhizza Roxb., a ginger-line plant of the family Zingiberaceae, displays a potent antiviral efficacy in vitro against SCoV2 and other related coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 (SCoV1) and a common cold-causing human coronavirus. XNT reduced infectious SCoV2 titer by ~3-log10 at 20 μM and interfered with the replication of the SCoV1 subgenomic replicon, while it had no significant antiviral effects against hepatitis C virus and noroviruses. Further, XNT exerted similar antiviral functions against SCoV2 variants, such as a GH clade strain and a delta strain currently predominant worldwide. Neither SCoV2 entry into cells nor the enzymatic activity of viral RNA polymerase (Nsp12), RNA helicase (Nsp13), or the 3CL main protease (Nsp5) was inhibited by XNT. While its CoV replication inhibitory mechanism remains elusive, our results demonstrate that the traditional folk medicine XNT could be a promising antiviral candidate that inhibits a broad range of SCoV2 variants of concern and other related CoVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minwoo Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Hee Cho
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Dae-Gyun Ahn
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Hae-Gwang Jung
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Han Young Seo
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Ji-Su Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
| | - Youn-Jung Lee
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (Y.-J.L.); (J.Y.C.)
| | - Jun Yong Choi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (Y.-J.L.); (J.Y.C.)
| | - In Ho Park
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (I.H.P.); (J.-S.S.)
| | - Jeon-Soo Shin
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea; (I.H.P.); (J.-S.S.)
- Department of Microbiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Seong-Jun Kim
- Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea;
| | - Jong-Won Oh
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea; (M.K.); (H.C.); (D.-G.A.); (H.-G.J.); (H.Y.S.); (J.-S.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-2123-2881; Fax: +82-2-362-7265
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Nanotechnology Applications of Flavonoids for Viral Diseases. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13111895. [PMID: 34834309 PMCID: PMC8625292 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13111895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed the emergence of several viral diseases, including various zoonotic diseases such as the current pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Other viruses, which possess pandemic-causing potential include avian flu, Ebola, dengue, Zika, and Nipah virus, as well as the re-emergence of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronaviruses. Notably, effective drugs or vaccines against these viruses are still to be discovered. All the newly approved vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2-induced disease COVID-19 possess real-time possibility of becoming obsolete because of the development of ‘variants of concern’. Flavonoids are being increasingly recognized as prophylactic and therapeutic agents against emerging and old viral diseases. Around 10,000 natural flavonoid compounds have been identified, being phytochemicals, all plant-based. Flavonoids have been reported to have lesser side effects than conventional anti-viral agents and are effective against more viral diseases than currently used anti-virals. Despite their abundance in plants, which are a part of human diet, flavonoids have the problem of low bioavailability. Various attempts are in progress to increase the bioavailability of flavonoids, one of the promising fields being nanotechnology. This review is a narrative of some anti-viral dietary flavonoids, their bioavailability, and various means with an emphasis on the nanotechnology system(s) being experimented with to deliver anti-viral flavonoids, whose systems show potential in the efficient delivery of flavonoids, resulting in increased bioavailability.
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Barazorda-Ccahuana HL, Nedyalkova M, Mas F, Madurga S. Unveiling the Effect of Low pH on the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:3823. [PMID: 34771379 PMCID: PMC8587287 DOI: 10.3390/polym13213823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Main Protease (Mpro) is an attractive therapeutic target that acts in the replication and transcription of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Mpro is rich in residues exposed to protonation/deprotonation changes which could affect its enzymatic function. This work aimed to explore the effect of the protonation/deprotonation states of Mpro at different pHs using computational techniques. (2) Methods: The different distribution charges were obtained in all the evaluated pHs by the Semi-Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (SGCMC) method. A set of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations was performed to consider the different protonation/deprotonation during 250 ns, verifying the structural stability of Mpro at different pHs. (3) Results: The present findings demonstrate that active site residues and residues that allow Mpro dimerisation was not affected by pH changes. However, Mpro substrate-binding residues were altered at low pHs, allowing the increased pocket volume. Additionally, the results of the solvent distribution around Sγ, Hγ, Nδ1 and Hδ1 atoms of the catalytic residues Cys145 and His41 showed a low and high-water affinity at acidic pH, respectively. It which could be crucial in the catalytic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro at low pHs. Moreover, we analysed the docking interactions of PF-00835231 from Pfizer in the preclinical phase, which shows excellent affinity with the Mpro at different pHs. (4) Conclusion: Overall, these findings indicate that SARS-CoV-2 Mpro is highly stable at acidic pH conditions, and this inhibitor could have a desirable function at this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Luz Barazorda-Ccahuana
- Materials Science and Physical Chemistry Department & Research Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
- Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa 04000, Peru
| | - Miroslava Nedyalkova
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Sofia “St. Kl. Okhridski”, 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria;
| | - Francesc Mas
- Materials Science and Physical Chemistry Department & Research Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Sergio Madurga
- Materials Science and Physical Chemistry Department & Research Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
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Kaul R, Paul P, Kumar S, Büsselberg D, Dwivedi VD, Chaari A. Promising Antiviral Activities of Natural Flavonoids against SARS-CoV-2 Targets: Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11069. [PMID: 34681727 PMCID: PMC8539743 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became a globally leading public health concern over the past two years. Despite the development and administration of multiple vaccines, the mutation of newer strains and challenges to universal immunity has shifted the focus to the lack of efficacious drugs for therapeutic intervention for the disease. As with SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and other non-respiratory viruses, flavonoids present themselves as a promising therapeutic intervention given their success in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and more recently, in clinical studies. This review focuses on data from in vitro studies analyzing the effects of flavonoids on various key SARS-CoV-2 targets and presents an analysis of the structure-activity relationships for the same. From 27 primary papers, over 69 flavonoids were investigated for their activities against various SARS-CoV-2 targets, ranging from the promising 3C-like protease (3CLpro) to the less explored nucleocapsid (N) protein; the most promising were quercetin and myricetin derivatives, baicalein, baicalin, EGCG, and tannic acid. We further review promising in silico studies featuring activities of flavonoids against SARS-CoV-2 and list ongoing clinical studies involving the therapeutic potential of flavonoid-rich extracts in combination with synthetic drugs or other polyphenols and suggest prospects for the future of flavonoids against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ridhima Kaul
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha 24144, Qatar; (R.K.); (P.P.)
| | - Pradipta Paul
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha 24144, Qatar; (R.K.); (P.P.)
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- Center for Bioinformatics, Computational and Systems Biology, Pathfinder Research and Training Foundation, Greater Noida 201308, India; (S.K.); (V.D.D.)
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Dietrich Büsselberg
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha 24144, Qatar;
| | - Vivek Dhar Dwivedi
- Center for Bioinformatics, Computational and Systems Biology, Pathfinder Research and Training Foundation, Greater Noida 201308, India; (S.K.); (V.D.D.)
| | - Ali Chaari
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha 24144, Qatar; (R.K.); (P.P.)
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l-Arginine Improves Solubility and ANTI SARS-CoV-2 Mpro Activity of Rutin but Not the Antiviral Activity in Cells. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26196062. [PMID: 34641606 PMCID: PMC8512140 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26196062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak prompts an urgent need for efficient therapeutics, and repurposing of known drugs has been extensively used in an attempt to get to anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents in the shortest possible time. The glycoside rutin shows manifold pharmacological activities and, despite its use being limited by its poor solubility in water, it is the active principle of many pharmaceutical preparations. We herein report our in silico and experimental investigations of rutin as a SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor and of its water solubility improvement obtained by mixing it with l-arginine. Tests of the rutin/l-arginine mixture in a cellular model of SARS-CoV-2 infection highlighted that the mixture still suffers from unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties, but nonetheless, the results of this study suggest that rutin might be a good starting point for hit optimization.
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Precursors of Viral Proteases as Distinct Drug Targets. Viruses 2021; 13:v13101981. [PMID: 34696411 PMCID: PMC8537868 DOI: 10.3390/v13101981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral proteases are indispensable for successful virion maturation, thus making them a prominent drug target. Their enzyme activity is tightly spatiotemporally regulated by expression in the precursor form with little or no activity, followed by activation via autoprocessing. These cleavage events are frequently triggered upon transportation to a specific compartment inside the host cell. Typically, precursor oligomerization or the presence of a co-factor is needed for activation. A detailed understanding of these mechanisms will allow ligands with non-canonical mechanisms of action to be designed, which would specifically modulate the initial irreversible steps of viral protease autoactivation. Binding sites exclusive to the precursor, including binding sites beyond the protease domain, can be exploited. Both inhibition and up-regulation of the proteolytic activity of viral proteases can be detrimental for the virus. All these possibilities are discussed using examples of medically relevant viruses including herpesviruses, adenoviruses, retroviruses, picornaviruses, caliciviruses, togaviruses, flaviviruses, and coronaviruses.
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Mousavi SS, Karami A, Haghighi TM, Tumilaar SG, Fatimawali, Idroes R, Mahmud S, Celik I, Ağagündüz D, Tallei TE, Emran TB, Capasso R. In Silico Evaluation of Iranian Medicinal Plant Phytoconstituents as Inhibitors against Main Protease and the Receptor-Binding Domain of SARS-CoV-2. Molecules 2021; 26:5724. [PMID: 34577194 PMCID: PMC8470205 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which initially appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Elderly individuals and those with comorbid conditions may be more vulnerable to this disease. Consequently, several research laboratories continue to focus on developing drugs to treat this infection because this disease has developed into a global pandemic with an extremely limited number of specific treatments available. Natural herbal remedies have long been used to treat illnesses in a variety of cultures. Modern medicine has achieved success due to the effectiveness of traditional medicines, which are derived from medicinal plants. The objective of this study was to determine whether components of natural origin from Iranian medicinal plants have an antiviral effect that can prevent humans from this coronavirus infection using the most reliable molecular docking method; in our case, we focused on the main protease (Mpro) and a receptor-binding domain (RBD). The results of molecular docking showed that among 169 molecules of natural origin from common Iranian medicinal plants, 20 molecules (chelidimerine, rutin, fumariline, catechin gallate, adlumidine, astragalin, somniferine, etc.) can be proposed as inhibitors against this coronavirus based on the binding free energy and type of interactions between these molecules and the studied proteins. Moreover, a molecular dynamics simulation study revealed that the chelidimerine-Mpro and somniferine-RBD complexes were stable for up to 50 ns below 0.5 nm. Our results provide valuable insights into this mechanism, which sheds light on future structure-based designs of high-potency inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyyed Sasan Mousavi
- Department of Horticultural Science, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71441, Iran; (S.S.M.); (A.K.); (T.M.H.)
| | - Akbar Karami
- Department of Horticultural Science, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71441, Iran; (S.S.M.); (A.K.); (T.M.H.)
| | - Tahereh Movahhed Haghighi
- Department of Horticultural Science, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71441, Iran; (S.S.M.); (A.K.); (T.M.H.)
| | - Sefren Geiner Tumilaar
- Pharmacy Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado 95115, Indonesia; (S.G.T.); (F.)
| | - Fatimawali
- Pharmacy Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado 95115, Indonesia; (S.G.T.); (F.)
- The University Center of Excellence for Biotechnology and Conservation of Wallacea, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado 95115, Indonesia
| | - Rinaldi Idroes
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Kopelma Darussalam, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia;
| | - Shafi Mahmud
- Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh;
| | - Ismail Celik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38039, Turkey;
| | - Duygu Ağagündüz
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gazi University, Emek, Ankara 06490, Turkey;
| | - Trina Ekawati Tallei
- The University Center of Excellence for Biotechnology and Conservation of Wallacea, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado 95115, Indonesia
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado 95115, Indonesia
| | - Talha Bin Emran
- Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong 4381, Bangladesh
| | - Raffaele Capasso
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055 Naples, Italy
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Sub-Micromolar Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro by Natural Compounds. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14090892. [PMID: 34577592 PMCID: PMC8465303 DOI: 10.3390/ph14090892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibiting the main protease 3CLpro is the most common strategy in the search for antiviral drugs to fight the infection from SARS-CoV-2. We report that the natural compound eugenol is able to hamper in vitro the enzymatic activity of 3CLpro, the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, with an inhibition constant in the sub-micromolar range (Ki = 0.81 μM). Two phenylpropene analogs were also tested: the same effect was observed for estragole with a lower potency (Ki = 4.1 μM), whereas anethole was less active. The binding efficiency index of these compounds is remarkably favorable due also to their small molecular mass (MW < 165 Da). We envision that nanomolar inhibition of 3CLpro is widely accessible within the chemical space of simple natural compounds.
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Rehman MFU, Akhter S, Batool AI, Selamoglu Z, Sevindik M, Eman R, Mustaqeem M, Akram MS, Kanwal F, Lu C, Aslam M. Effectiveness of Natural Antioxidants against SARS-CoV-2? Insights from the In-Silico World. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:1011. [PMID: 34439061 PMCID: PMC8388999 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10081011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS CoV-2 pandemic has affected millions of people around the globe. Despite many efforts to find some effective medicines against SARS CoV-2, no established therapeutics are available yet. The use of phytochemicals as antiviral agents provides hope against the proliferation of SARS-CoV-2. Several natural compounds were analyzed by virtual screening against six SARS CoV-2 protein targets using molecular docking simulations in the present study. More than a hundred plant-derived secondary metabolites have been docked, including alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, and steroids. SARS CoV-2 protein targets include Main protease (MPro), Papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), Spike glycoprotein (S), Helicase (Nsp13), and E-Channel protein. Phytochemicals were evaluated by molecular docking, and MD simulations were performed using the YASARA structure using a modified genetic algorithm and AMBER03 force field. Binding energies and dissociation constants allowed the identification of potentially active compounds. Ligand-protein interactions provide an insight into the mechanism and potential of identified compounds. Glycyrrhizin and its metabolite 18-β-glycyrrhetinic acid have shown a strong binding affinity for MPro, helicase, RdRp, spike, and E-channel proteins, while a flavonoid Baicalin also strongly binds against PLpro and RdRp. The use of identified phytochemicals may help to speed up the drug development and provide natural protection against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Fayyaz ur Rehman
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 41600, Pakistan; (S.A.); (R.E.)
| | - Shahzaib Akhter
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 41600, Pakistan; (S.A.); (R.E.)
| | - Aima Iram Batool
- Department of Zoology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 41600, Pakistan;
| | - Zeliha Selamoglu
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Nigde 51240, Turkey;
| | - Mustafa Sevindik
- Department of Food Processing, Bahçe Vocational School, Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Osmaniye 80000, Turkey;
| | - Rida Eman
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 41600, Pakistan; (S.A.); (R.E.)
| | - Muhammad Mustaqeem
- Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Bhakkar Campus, Bhakkar 30000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Safwan Akram
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UK;
- National Horizons Centre, Teesside University, Darlington DL1 1HG, UK
| | - Fariha Kanwal
- Med-X Research Institute, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 201620, China;
| | - Changrui Lu
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Mehwish Aslam
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
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Seleno-Functionalization of Quercetin Improves the Non-Covalent Inhibition of M pro and Its Antiviral Activity in Cells against SARS-CoV-2. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22137048. [PMID: 34208928 PMCID: PMC8268238 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of new antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 is a valuable long-term strategy to protect the global population from the COVID-19 pandemic complementary to the vaccination. Considering this, the viral main protease (Mpro) is among the most promising molecular targets in light of its importance during the viral replication cycle. The natural flavonoid quercetin 1 has been recently reported to be a potent Mpro inhibitor in vitro, and we explored the effect produced by the introduction of organoselenium functionalities in this scaffold. In particular, we report here a new synthetic method to prepare previously inaccessible C-8 seleno-quercetin derivatives. By screening a small library of flavonols and flavone derivatives, we observed that some compounds inhibit the protease activity in vitro. For the first time, we demonstrate that quercetin (1) and 8-(p-tolylselenyl)quercetin (2d) block SARS-CoV-2 replication in infected cells at non-toxic concentrations, with an IC50 of 192 μM and 8 μM, respectively. Based on docking experiments driven by experimental evidence, we propose a non-covalent mechanism for Mpro inhibition in which a hydrogen bond between the selenium atom and Gln189 residue in the catalytic pocket could explain the higher Mpro activity of 2d and, as a result, its better antiviral profile.
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Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Polymerase with New Nucleoside Analogues. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26113461. [PMID: 34200204 PMCID: PMC8201013 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26113461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the fact that COVID-19 vaccines are already available on the market, there have not been any effective FDA-approved drugs to treat this disease. There are several already known drugs that through drug repositioning have shown an inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. These drugs are included in the family of nucleoside analogues. In our efforts, we synthesized a group of new nucleoside analogues, which are modified at the sugar moiety that is replaced by a quinazoline entity. Different nucleobase derivatives are used in order to increase the inhibition. Five new nucleoside analogues were evaluated with in vitro assays for targeting polymerase of SARS-CoV-2.
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Godinho PIC, Soengas RG, Silva VLM. Therapeutic Potential of Glycosyl Flavonoids as Anti-Coronaviral Agents. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:546. [PMID: 34200456 PMCID: PMC8227519 DOI: 10.3390/ph14060546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread all over the world, creating a devastating socio-economic impact. Even though protective vaccines are starting to be administered, an effective antiviral agent for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 is not available yet. Moreover, since new and deadly CoVs can emerge at any time with the potential of becoming pandemics, the development of therapeutic agents against potentially deadly CoVs is a research area of much current interest. In the search for anti-coronaviral drugs, researchers soon turned their heads towards glycosylated flavonoids. Glycosyl flavonoids, widespread in the plant kingdom, have received a lot of attention due to their widely recognized antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties together with their capacity to modulate key cellular functions. The wide range of biological activities displayed by glycosyl flavonoids, along with their low toxicity, make them ideal candidates for drug development. In this review, we examine and discuss the up-to-date developments on glycosyl flavonoids as evidence-based natural sources of antivirals against coronaviruses and their potential role in the management of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia I. C. Godinho
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;
| | - Raquel G. Soengas
- Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, University of Oviedo, Julián Clavería 7, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Vera L. M. Silva
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;
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