Repurposing of the Approved Small Molecule Drugs in Order to Inhibit Sars-Cov-2 S Protein and Human Ace2 Interaction Through Virtual Screening Approaches Publisher Pubmed



Kalhor H^{1, 2} ; Sadeghi S³ ; Abolhasani H^{1, 4, 5} ; Kalhor R^{1, 6} ; Rahimi H²
Source: Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics Published:2022

Abstract

Most recently, the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) while this virus shares substantial similarity with SARS-CoV. So far, no definitive vaccine or drug has been developed to cure Covid-19 disease, since many important aspects about Covid-19 such as pathogenesis and proliferation pathways are still unclear. It was proven that human ACE2 is the main receptor for the entry of Covid-19 into lower respiratory tract epithelial cells through interaction with SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Based on this observation, it is expected that the virus infection can be inhibited if protein-protein interaction is prevented. In this study, using structure-based virtual screening of FDA databases, several lead drugs were discovered based on the ACE2-binding pocket of SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Then, binding affinity, binding modes, critical interactions, and pharmaceutical properties of the lead drugs were evaluated. Among the previously approved drugs, Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate, Digitoxin, Ivermectin, Rapamycin, Rifaximin, and Amphotericin B represented the most desirable features, and can be possible candidates for Covid-19 therapies. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was accomplished for three S protein/drug complexes with the highest binding affinity and best conformation and binding free energies were also computed with the Molecular Mechanics/Poisson–Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA) method. Results demonstrated the stable binding of these compounds to the S protein; however, in order to confirm the curative effect of these drugs, clinical trials must be done. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.