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Gossen KR, Zhang M, Nikolov ZL, Fernando SD, King MD. Binding behavior of receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and ivermectin. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2743. [PMID: 38302638 PMCID: PMC10834942 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53086-0] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), sparked an international debate on effective ways to prevent and treat the virus. Specifically, there were many varying opinions on the use of ivermectin (IVM) throughout the world, with minimal research to support either side. IVM is an FDA-approved antiparasitic drug that was discovered in the 1970s and was found to show antiviral activity. The objective of this study is to examine the binding behavior and rates of association and dissociation between SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD), IVM, and their combination using aminopropylsilane (APS) biosensors as surrogates for the hydrophobic interaction between the viral protein and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors to determine the potential of IVM as a repurposed drug for SARS-CoV-2 prevention and treatment. The IVM, RBD, and combination binding kinetics were analyzed using biolayer interferometry (BLI) and validated with multiple in silico techniques including protein-ligand docking, molecular dynamics simulation, molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA), and principal component analysis (PCA). Our results suggest that with increasing IVM concentrations the association rate with the hydrophobic biosensor increases with a simultaneous decrease in dissociation. Significant kinetic changes to RBD, when combined with IVM, were found only at a concentration a thousand times the approved dosage with minimal changes found over a 35-min time period. Our study suggests that IVM is not an effective preventative or treatment method at the currently approved dosage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasidy R Gossen
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2117 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Meiyi Zhang
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2117 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Zivko L Nikolov
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2117 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Sandun D Fernando
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2117 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Maria D King
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2117 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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2
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Huang F, Chen C. Investigation of Bucillamine as anti-COVID-19 drug: DFT study, molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulation and ADMET analysis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:34-42. [PMID: 36995042 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2192791] [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: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a global health pandemic beginning in early December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. The effective drug target among coronaviruses is the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), because of its crucial role in processing viral polyproteins translated from the viral RNA. In this study, the bioactivity of the selected thiol drug named Bucillamine (BUC) was evaluated as a potential drug for COVID-19 treatment by using computational modeling strategies. First, the molecular electrostatic potential density (ESP) calculation was performed to estimate the chemically active atoms of BUC. Additionally, BUC was docked to the Mpro (PDB: 6LU7) to evaluate the protein-ligand binding affinities. Besides, the estimated ESP results by density functional theory (DFT) were used to illustrate the molecular docking findings. Moreover, the frontier orbitals analysis was calculated to determine the charge transfer between the Mpro and BUC. Then, the stability of protein-ligand complex was subjected to the molecular dynamic simulations. Finally, an in silico study was performed to predict drug-likeness and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity profiles (ADMET) of BUC. These results propose that BUC can be a potential drug candidate against the COVID-19 disease progression.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengwen Huang
- Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Science, City University of HongKong, Hong Kong, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
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3
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Da A, Wu-Lu M, Dragelj J, Mroginski MA, Ebrahimi KH. Multi-structural molecular docking (MOD) combined with molecular dynamics reveal the structural requirements of designing broad-spectrum inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 entry to host cells. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16387. [PMID: 37773489 PMCID: PMC10541870 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42015-2] [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: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023] Open
Abstract
New variants of SARS-CoV-2 that can escape immune response continue to emerge. Consequently, there is an urgent demand to design small molecule therapeutics inhibiting viral entry to host cells to reduce infectivity rate. Despite numerous in silico and in situ studies, the structural requirement of designing viral-entry inhibitors effective against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 has yet to be described. Here we systematically screened the binding of various natural products (NPs) to six different SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) structures. We demonstrate that Multi-structural Molecular Docking (MOD) combined with molecular dynamics calculations allowed us to predict a vulnerable site of RBD and the structural requirement of ligands binding to this vulnerable site. We expect that our findings lay the foundation for in silico screening and identification of lead molecules to guide drug discovery into designing new broad-spectrum lead molecules to counter the threat of future variants of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Da
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Meritxell Wu-Lu
- Institute of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jovan Dragelj
- Institute of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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4
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Awad AM, Hansen K, Del Rio D, Flores D, Barghash RF, Kakkola L, Julkunen I, Awad K. Insights into COVID-19: Perspectives on Drug Remedies and Host Cell Responses. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1452. [PMID: 37892134 PMCID: PMC10604481 DOI: 10.3390/biom13101452] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, ongoing research has centered on minimizing viral spread either by stopping viral entry or inhibiting viral replication. Repurposing antiviral drugs, typically nucleoside analogs, has proven successful at inhibiting virus replication. This review summarizes current information regarding coronavirus classification and characterization and presents the broad clinical consequences of SARS-CoV-2 activation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor expressed in different human cell types. It provides publicly available knowledge on the chemical nature of proposed therapeutics and their target biomolecules to assist in the identification of potentially new drugs for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed M. Awad
- Department of Chemistry, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA
| | - Kamryn Hansen
- Department of Chemistry, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA
| | - Diana Del Rio
- Department of Chemistry, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA
| | - Derek Flores
- Department of Chemistry, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA
| | - Reham F. Barghash
- Institute of Chemical Industries Research, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt
| | - Laura Kakkola
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Ilkka Julkunen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
- Clinical Microbiology, Turku University Hospital, 20521 Turku, Finland
| | - Kareem Awad
- Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
- Department of Therapeutic Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt
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5
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Karakousis ND, Gourgoulianis KI, Kotsiou OS. The Role of Folic Acid in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: An Intriguing Linkage under Investigation. J Pers Med 2023; 13:jpm13030561. [PMID: 36983742 PMCID: PMC10052526 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13030561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 is a life-threatening RNA virus that may cause an acute respiratory syndrome associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality rates. Folic acid (FA), also known as folate, is an essential vitamin vital for human homeostasis, participating in many biochemical pathways, and its deficiency has been associated with viral infection vulnerability. In this review, we investigated the association between FA intake and SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with the existence of any potential impact of FA on the health outcome of patients suffering from this new viral infection. METHODS Studies included were patients' and in silico and molecular docking studies. RESULTS Data from in silico studies and molecular docking support that FA inhibits SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host and viral replication, binding at essential residues. Accordingly, in patients' studies, a protective role of FA supplementation against SARS-CoV-2 infection is indicated. However, contradictory data from observational studies indicate that FA supplementation, often linked to deficits during systemic inflammation due to SARS-CoV-2, increases the risk of post-infection mortality. CONCLUSIONS Future randomized controlled trial studies, including the FA pharmacological group, are needed to better understand the role of FA as a potential protective or mortality risk indicator in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos D Karakousis
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41110 Larissa, Greece
| | - Konstantinos I Gourgoulianis
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41110 Larissa, Greece
| | - Ourania S Kotsiou
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41110 Larissa, Greece
- Faculty of Nursing, University of Thessaly, Gaiopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
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Folic Acid and Leucovorin Have Potential to Prevent SARS-CoV-2-Virus Internalization by Interacting with S-Glycoprotein/Neuropilin-1 Receptor Complex. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28052294. [PMID: 36903540 PMCID: PMC10005443 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28052294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein receptor-binding domain with the host-cell ACE2 receptor is a well-known step in virus infection. Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is another host factor involved in virus internalization. The interaction between S-glycoprotein and NRP-1 has been identified as a potential COVID-19 treatment target. Herein, the effectiveness of folic acid and leucovorin in preventing contact between S-glycoprotein and NRP-1 receptors was investigated using in silico studies and then confirmed in vitro. The results of a molecular docking study showed that leucovorin and folic acid had lower binding energies than EG01377, a well-known NRP-1 inhibitor, and lopinavir. Two hydrogen bonds with Asp 320 and Asn 300 residues stabilized the leucovorin, while interactions with Gly 318, Thr 349, and Tyr 353 residues stabilized the folic acid. The molecular dynamic simulation revealed that the folic acid and leucovorin created very stable complexes with the NRP-1. The in vitro studies showed that the leucovorin was the most active inhibitor of the S1-glycoprotein/NRP-1 complex formation, with an IC75 value of 185.95 µg/mL. The results of this study suggest that folic acid and leucovorin could be considered as potential inhibitors of the S-glycoprotein/NRP-1 complex and, thus, could prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus' entry into host cells.
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Xiang Y, Zhai G, Li Y, Wang M, Chen X, Wang R, Xie H, Zhang W, Ge G, Zhang Q, Xu Y, Caflisch A, Xu J, Chen H, Chen L. Ginkgolic acids inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and its variants by blocking the spike protein/ACE2 interplay. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 226:780-792. [PMID: 36521705 PMCID: PMC9743696 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.12.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Targeting the interaction between the spike protein receptor binding domain (S-RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a potential therapeutic strategy for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, we still lack small-molecule drug candidates for this target due to the missing knowledge in the hot spots for the protein-protein interaction. Here, we used NanoBiT technology to identify three Ginkgolic acids from an in-house traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) library, and they interfere with the S-RBD/ACE2 interplay. Our pseudovirus assay showed that one of the compounds, Ginkgolic acid C17:1 (GA171), significantly inhibits the entry of original SARS-CoV-2 and its variants into the ACE2-overexpressed HEK293T cells. We investigated and proposed the binding sites of GA171 on S-RBD by combining molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Site-directed mutagenesis and surface plasmon resonance revealed that GA171 specifically binds to the pocket near R403 and Y505, critical residues of S-RBD for S-RBD interacting with ACE2. Thus, we provide structural insights into developing new small-molecule inhibitors and vaccines against the proposed S-RBD binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusen Xiang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Guanglei Zhai
- Shanghai HighsLab Therapeutics. Inc., Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yaozong Li
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland,Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mengge Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xixiang Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China,Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Ruyu Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hang Xie
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Weidong Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China,Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Guangbo Ge
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yechun Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Amedeo Caflisch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jianrong Xu
- Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China,Shanghai Universities Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, China,Corresponding authors
| | - Hongzhuan Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China,Corresponding authors
| | - Lili Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China,Corresponding authors
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Schultz JV, Tonel MZ, Martins MO, Fagan SB. Graphene oxide and flavonoids as potential inhibitors of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants and interaction between ligands: a parallel study of molecular docking and DFT. Struct Chem 2023; 34:1-11. [PMID: 36721714 PMCID: PMC9880933 DOI: 10.1007/s11224-023-02135-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Nanocarriers allow the connection between biomolecules and other structures to enhance the treatment efficacy, through the biomolecule's properties to an existing drug, or to allow a better and specific delivery. Apigenin and orientin are biomolecules with excellent therapeutic properties that are proposed in the fight against COVID-19. Besides that, graphene oxide is a nanomaterial that exhibits antiviral activity and is used as a nanocarrier of several drugs. We evaluated in this work, through molecular docking, the binding affinity between these structures to the receptor-binding domain of spike protein of two coronavirus variants, Delta and Omicron. The results indicate that all the structures exhibit affinity with the two protein targets, with binding affinity values of -11.88 to -6.65 kcal/mol for the Delta variant and values of -9.58 to -13.20 kcal/mol for the Omicron variant, which is a successful value as found in the literature as a potential inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Also, through first-principles calculations based on Density Functional Theory, the interaction of graphene oxide with the biomolecules apigenin and orientin occurred. The results exhibit weak binding energy, which indicates that physical adsorption occurs, with better results when the biomolecule is set in parallel to the nanomaterial due to attractive π-π staking. These results are conducive to the development of a nanocarrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Vaz Schultz
- PPGNANO - Postgraduate Program in Nanoscience, Universidade Franciscana-UFN, Rua dos Andradas, 1614, ZIP 97010-032, Santa Maria, RS Brazil
| | - Mariana Zancan Tonel
- PPGNANO - Postgraduate Program in Nanoscience, Universidade Franciscana-UFN, Rua dos Andradas, 1614, ZIP 97010-032, Santa Maria, RS Brazil
| | - Mirkos Ortiz Martins
- PPGNANO - Postgraduate Program in Nanoscience, Universidade Franciscana-UFN, Rua dos Andradas, 1614, ZIP 97010-032, Santa Maria, RS Brazil
| | - Solange Binotto Fagan
- PPGNANO - Postgraduate Program in Nanoscience, Universidade Franciscana-UFN, Rua dos Andradas, 1614, ZIP 97010-032, Santa Maria, RS Brazil
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The Development of Pharmacophore Models for the Search of New Natural Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD-ACE2 Binding Interface. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27248938. [PMID: 36558067 PMCID: PMC9788546 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27248938] [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: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, some succeeding variants of SARS-CoV-2 have become more contagious. This virus is known to enter human cells by binding the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of spike protein with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the latter being a membrane protein that regulates the renin-angiotensin system. Since the host cell receptor plays a critical role in viral entry, inhibition of the RBD-ACE2 complex is a promising strategy for preventing COVID-19 infection. In the present communication, we propose and utilize an approach based on the generation of a complex of pharmacophore models and subsequent Induced Fit Docking (IFD) to identify potential inhibitors of the main binding sites of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 RBD(S1)-ACE2 complex (PDB ID: 7T9L) among a number of natural products of various types and origins. Several natural compounds have been found to provide a high affinity for the receptor of interest. It is expected that the present results will stimulate further research aimed at the development of specialized drugs against this virus.
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Kim YS, Kwon EB, Kim B, Chung HS, Choi G, Kim YH, Choi JG. Mulberry Component Kuwanon C Exerts Potent Therapeutic Efficacy In Vitro against COVID-19 by Blocking the SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1 RBD:ACE2 Receptor Interaction. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:12516. [PMID: 36293371 PMCID: PMC9604257 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been an immense effort by global pharmaceutical companies to develop anti-COVID-19 drugs, including small molecule-based RNA replication inhibitors via drug repositioning and antibody-based spike protein blockers related to cell entry by SARS-CoV-2. However, several limitations to their clinical use have emerged in addition to a lack of progress in the development of small molecule-based cell entry inhibitors from natural products. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of kuwanon C (KC), which has mainly been researched using in silico docking simulation and can serve as an effective building block for developing anti-COVID-19 drugs, in blocking the spike S1 RBD:ACE2 receptor interaction. KC is a natural product derived from Morus alba L., commonly known as mulberry, which has known antiviral efficacy. Molecular interaction studies using competitive ELISA and the BLItz system revealed that KC targets both the spike S1 RBD and the ACE2 receptor, successfully disrupting their interaction, as supported by the in silico docking simulation. Furthermore, we established a mechanism of action by observing how KC prevents the infection of SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped virus in ACE2/TPRSS2-overexpressing HEK293T cells. Finally, we demonstrated that KC inhibits clinical isolates of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells. Future combinations of small molecule-based cell entry inhibitors, such as KC, with the currently prescribed RNA replication inhibitors are anticipated to significantly enhance the efficacy of COVID-19 therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Soo Kim
- Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korean Medicine Application Center, 70 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu 41062, Korea
| | - Eun-Bin Kwon
- Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korean Medicine Application Center, 70 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu 41062, Korea
| | - Buyun Kim
- Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korean Medicine Application Center, 70 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu 41062, Korea
| | - Hwan-Suck Chung
- Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korean Medicine Application Center, 70 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu 41062, Korea
| | - Garam Choi
- R&D Center, Etnova Therapeutics Corp., 198 Saneop-ro, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon 13207, Korea
| | - Yeoun-Hee Kim
- R&D Center, Etnova Therapeutics Corp., 198 Saneop-ro, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon 13207, Korea
| | - Jang-Gi Choi
- Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korean Medicine Application Center, 70 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu 41062, Korea
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