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Zhang YN, Zhu GH, Liu W, Chen XX, Xie YY, Xu JR, Jiang MF, Zhuang XY, Zhang WD, Chen HZ, Ge GB. Discovery of the covalent SARS-CoV-2 M pro inhibitors from antiviral herbs via integrating target-based high-throughput screening and chemoproteomic approaches. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e29208. [PMID: 37947293 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The main proteases (Mpro ) are highly conserved cysteine-rich proteins that can be covalently modified by numerous natural and synthetic compounds. Herein, we constructed an integrative approach to efficiently discover covalent inhibitors of Mpro from complex herbal matrices. This work begins with biological screening of 60 clinically used antiviral herbal medicines, among which Lonicera japonica Flos (LJF) demonstrated the strongest anti-Mpro effect (IC50 = 37.82 μg/mL). Mass spectrometry (MS)-based chemical analysis and chemoproteomic profiling revealed that LJF extract contains at least 50 constituents, of which 22 exhibited the capability to covalently modify Mpro . We subsequently verified the anti-Mpro effects of these covalent binders. Gallic acid and quercetin were found to potently inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Mpro in dose- and time- dependent manners, with the IC50 values below 10 µM. The inactivation kinetics, binding affinity and binding mode of gallic acid and quercetin were further characterized by fluorescence resonance energy transfer, surface plasmon resonance, and covalent docking simulations. Overall, this study established a practical approach for efficiently discovering the covalent inhibitors of Mpro from herbal medicines by integrating target-based high-throughput screening and MS-based assays, which would greatly facilitate the discovery of key antiviral constituents from medicinal plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Ni Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guang-Hao Zhu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xi-Xiang Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Xie
- Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Rong Xu
- Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei-Fang Jiang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhuang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Dong Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong-Zhuan Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guang-Bo Ge
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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