Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Inhibitors and Other Drug-like Compounds As Covalent Binders of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2022 Jul 16

PMID 35842458

Authors

Babak Andi

Desigan Kumaran

Dale F Kreitler

Alexei S Soares

Jantana Keereetaweep

Jean Jakoncic

Edwin O Lazo

WuXian Shi

Martin R Fuchs

Robert M Sweet

John Shanklin

Paul D Adams

Jurgen G Schmidt

Martha S Head

Sean McSweeney

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), threatens global public health. The world needs rapid development of new antivirals and vaccines to control the current pandemic and to control the spread of the variants. Among the proteins synthesized by the SARS-CoV-2 genome, main protease (M also known as 3CL) is a primary drug target, due to its essential role in maturation of the viral polyproteins. In this study, we provide crystallographic evidence, along with some binding assay data, that three clinically approved anti hepatitis C virus drugs and two other drug-like compounds covalently bind to the M Cys145 catalytic residue in the active site. Also, molecular docking studies can provide additional insight for the design of new antiviral inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 using these drugs as lead compounds. One might consider derivatives of these lead compounds with higher affinity to the M as potential COVID-19 therapeutics for further testing and possibly clinical trials.

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