Issue 35, 2022, Issue in Progress

Remdesivir analog as SARS-CoV-2 polymerase inhibitor: virtual screening of a database generated by scaffold replacement

Abstract

By the end of 2019, a novel strain of the corona viral family named SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, China and started to spread worldwide causing one of the most dangerous lethal pandemics. Researchers utilized various reported inhibitors and drug databases for virtual screening analysis against this novel strain. Later on, they succeeded to fish and repurpose remdesivir, an antiviral nucleotide analogue that inhibits RNA polymerase of the Ebola virus, as a promising candidate against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we used the interactions of the co-crystallized metabolite of remdesivir with SARS-CoV-2 RdRp isozyme (PDB 7BV2) to design an analog with potential extra activity. This design was based on a scaffold replacement of a pyrrolotriazine moiety. This design was guided by a generated structure-based pharmacophore. The database generated from scaffold replacement was subjected to molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations within the active site of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp (PDB 7BV2) to suggest HA-130383 and HA-130384 as potential lead compounds.

Graphical abstract: Remdesivir analog as SARS-CoV-2 polymerase inhibitor: virtual screening of a database generated by scaffold replacement

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Jan 2022
Accepted
22 Jul 2022
First published
11 Aug 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2022,12, 22448-22457

Remdesivir analog as SARS-CoV-2 polymerase inhibitor: virtual screening of a database generated by scaffold replacement

M. A. Said, A. Albohy, M. A. Abdelrahman and H. S. Ibarhim, RSC Adv., 2022, 12, 22448 DOI: 10.1039/D2RA00486K

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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