Halogenated Baicalein as a Promising Antiviral Agent toward SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease

J Chem Inf Model. 2022 Mar 28;62(6):1498-1509. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c01304. Epub 2022 Mar 4.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease pandemic is a constant reminder that global citizens are in imminent danger of exposure to emerging infectious diseases. Therefore, developing a technique for inhibitor discovery is essential for effective drug design. Herein, we proposed fragment molecular orbital (FMO)-based virtual screening to predict the molecular binding energy of potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease inhibitors. The integration of quantum mechanical approaches and trajectory analysis from a microsecond molecular dynamics simulation was used to identify potential inhibitors. We identified brominated baicalein as a potent inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease and confirmed its inhibitory activity in an in vitro assay. Brominated baicalein did not demonstrate significant toxicity in either in vitro or in vivo studies. The pair interaction energy from FMO-RIMP2/PCM and inhibitory constants based on the protease enzyme assay suggested that the brominated baicalein could be further developed into novel SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents* / chemistry
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
  • Coronavirus 3C Proteases
  • Flavanones
  • Humans
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Protease Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Protease Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Flavanones
  • Protease Inhibitors
  • baicalein
  • 3C-like proteinase, SARS-CoV-2
  • Coronavirus 3C Proteases