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Juárez-Mercado KE, Gómez-Hernández MA, Salinas-Trujano J, Córdova-Bahena L, Espitia C, Pérez-Tapia SM, Medina-Franco JL, Velasco-Velázquez MA. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors Using Chemical Similarity Analysis Combined with Machine Learning. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:240. [PMID: 38399455 PMCID: PMC10892746 DOI: 10.3390/ph17020240] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) is an enzyme that cleaves viral polyproteins translated from the viral genome, which is critical for viral replication. Mpro is a target for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development. Herein, we performed a large-scale virtual screening by comparing multiple structural descriptors of reference molecules with reported anti-coronavirus activity against a library with >17 million compounds. Further filtering, performed by applying two machine learning algorithms, identified eighteen computational hits as anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds with high structural diversity and drug-like properties. The activities of twelve compounds on Mpro's enzymatic activity were evaluated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assays. Compound 13 (ZINC13878776) significantly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 Mpro activity and was employed as a reference for an experimentally hit expansion. The structural analogues 13a (ZINC4248385), 13b (ZNC13523222), and 13c (ZINC4248365) were tested as Mpro inhibitors, reducing the enzymatic activity of recombinant Mpro with potency as follows: 13c > 13 > 13b > 13a. Then, their anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities were evaluated in plaque reduction assays using Vero CCL81 cells. Subtoxic concentrations of compounds 13a, 13c, and 13b displayed in vitro antiviral activity with IC50 in the mid micromolar range. Compounds 13a-c could become lead compounds for the development of new Mpro inhibitors with improved activity against anti-SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Milton Abraham Gómez-Hernández
- School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Juana Salinas-Trujano
- Research and Development in Biotherapeutics Unit (UDIBI), National School of Biological Sciences, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11350, Mexico
- National Laboratory for Specialized Services of Investigation, Development and Innovation (I+D+i) for Pharma Chemicals and Biotechnological Products, LANSEIDI-FarBiotech-CONACHyT, Mexico City 11350, Mexico
| | - Luis Córdova-Bahena
- School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
- National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology (CONAHCYT), Mexico City 03940, Mexico
| | - Clara Espitia
- Immunology Department, Institute for Biomedical Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Sonia Mayra Pérez-Tapia
- Research and Development in Biotherapeutics Unit (UDIBI), National School of Biological Sciences, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11350, Mexico
- National Laboratory for Specialized Services of Investigation, Development and Innovation (I+D+i) for Pharma Chemicals and Biotechnological Products, LANSEIDI-FarBiotech-CONACHyT, Mexico City 11350, Mexico
- Immunology Department, National School of Biological Sciences, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11350, Mexico
| | - José L. Medina-Franco
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
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Sokouti B. A review on in silico virtual screening methods in COVID-19 using anticancer drugs and other natural/chemical inhibitors. Explor Target Antitumor Ther 2023; 4:994-1026. [PMID: 38023988 PMCID: PMC10651357 DOI: 10.37349/etat.2023.00177] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The present coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic scenario has posed a difficulty for cancer treatment. Even under ideal conditions, malignancies like small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are challenging to treat because of their fast development and early metastases. The treatment of these patients must not be jeopardized, and they must be protected as much as possible from the continuous spread of the COVID-19 infection. Initially identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the contagious coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Finding inhibitors against the druggable targets of SARS-CoV-2 has been a significant focus of research efforts across the globe. The primary motivation for using molecular modeling tools against SARS-CoV-2 was to identify candidates for use as therapeutic targets from a pharmacological database. In the published study, scientists used a combination of medication repurposing and virtual drug screening methodologies to target many structures of SARS-CoV-2. This virus plays an essential part in the maturation and replication of other viruses. In addition, the total binding free energy and molecular dynamics (MD) modeling findings showed that the dynamics of various medications and substances were stable; some of them have been tested experimentally against SARS-CoV-2. Different virtual screening (VS) methods have been discussed as potential means by which the evaluated medications that show strong binding to the active site might be repurposed for use against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Sokouti
- Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5165665813, Iran
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Ramli S, Wu YS, Batumalaie K, Guad RM, Choy KW, Kumar A, Gopinath SCB, Rahman Sarker MM, Subramaniyan V, Sekar M, Fuloria NK, Fuloria S, Chinni SV, Ramachawolran G. Phytochemicals of Withania somnifera as a Future Promising Drug against SARS-CoV-2: Pharmacological Role, Molecular Mechanism, Molecular Docking Evaluation, and Efficient Delivery. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11041000. [PMID: 37110423 PMCID: PMC10142625 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11041000] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has killed millions of people since first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Intriguingly, Withania somnifera (WS) has shown promising antiviral effects against numerous viral infections, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, which are contributed by its phytochemicals. This review focused on the updated testing of therapeutic efficacy and associated molecular mechanisms of WS extracts and their phytochemicals against SARS-CoV-2 infection in preclinical and clinical studies with the aim to develop a long-term solution against COVID-19. It also deciphered the current use of the in silico molecular docking approach in developing potential inhibitors from WS targeting SARS-CoV-2 and host cell receptors that may aid the development of targeted therapy against SARS-CoV-2 ranging from prior to viral entry until acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This review also discussed nanoformulations or nanocarriers in achieving effective WS delivery to enhance its bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy, consequently preventing the emergence of drug resistance, and eventually therapeutic failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suaidah Ramli
- Department of Pharmacy, Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, Kuala Terengganu 20400, Malaysia
| | - Yuan Seng Wu
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Kalaivani Batumalaie
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Asia Metropolitan University, Johor Bahru 81750, Malaysia
| | - Rhanye Mac Guad
- Department of Biomedical Science and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
| | - Ker Woon Choy
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh 47000, Malaysia
| | - Ashok Kumar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Subash C B Gopinath
- Centre of Excellence (CoE), Faculty of Chemical Engineering & Technology & Micro System Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Malaysia
- Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kangar 01000, Malaysia
| | - Md Moklesur Rahman Sarker
- Department of Pharmacy, State University of Bangladesh, 77 Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
- Health Med Science Research Network, 3/1, Block F, Lalmatia, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Vetriselvan Subramaniyan
- Pharmacology Unit, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, MONASH University, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Subang Jaya 42610, Malaysia
| | - Mahendran Sekar
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Neeraj Kumar Fuloria
- Centre of Excellence for Biomaterials Engineering & Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Bedong 08100, Malaysia
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
| | - Shivkanya Fuloria
- Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Semeling, Bedong 08100, Malaysia
| | - Suresh V Chinni
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience, and Nursing, MAHSA University, Jenjarom 42610, Malaysia
- Department of Periodontics, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai 600077, India
| | - Gobinath Ramachawolran
- Department of Foundation, RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus, No 4, Jalan Sepoy Lines, Georgetown 10450, Malaysia
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Lu LW, Gao Y, Quek SY, Foster M, Eason CT, Liu M, Wang M, Chen JH, Chen F. The landscape of potential health benefits of carotenoids as natural supportive therapeutics in protecting against Coronavirus infection. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 154:113625. [PMID: 36058151 PMCID: PMC9428603 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic urges researching possibilities for prevention and management of the effects of the virus. Carotenoids are natural phytochemicals of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties and may exert potential in aiding in combatting the pandemic. This review presents the direct and indirect evidence of the health benefits of carotenoids and derivatives based on in vitro and in vivo studies, human clinical trials and epidemiological studies and proposes possible mechanisms of action via which carotenoids may have the capacity to protect against COVID-19 effects. The current evidence provides a rationale for considering carotenoids as natural supportive nutrients via antioxidant activities, including scavenging lipid-soluble radicals, reducing hypoxia-associated superoxide by activating antioxidant enzymes, or suppressing enzymes that produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Carotenoids may regulate COVID-19 induced over-production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, pro-inflammatory enzymes and adhesion molecules by nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAS) and interleukins-6- Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (IL-6-JAK/STAT) pathways and suppress the polarization of pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage. Moreover, carotenoids may modulate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ by acting as agonists to alleviate COVID-19 symptoms. They also may potentially block the cellular receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). These activities may reduce the severity of COVID-19 and flu-like diseases. Thus, carotenoid supplementation may aid in combatting the pandemic, as well as seasonal flu. However, further in vitro, in vivo and in particular long-term clinical trials in COVID-19 patients are needed to evaluate this hypothesis.
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