Unravelling lead antiviral phytochemicals for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 M^pro enzyme through in silico approach.

ABSTRACT: A new SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) belonging to the genus Betacoronavirus has caused a pandemic known as COVID-19. Among coronaviruses, the main protease (M^pro) is an essential drug target which, along with papain-like proteases catalyzes the processing of polyproteins translated from viral RNA and recognizes specific cleavage sites. There are no human proteases with similar cleavage specificity and therefore, inhibitors are highly likely to be nontoxic. Therefore, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 M^pro enzyme with small molecules can block viral replication. The present study is aimed at the identification of promising lead molecules for SARS-CoV-2 M^pro enzyme through virtual screening of antiviral compounds from plants. The binding affinity of selected small drug

SUBMITTER: Gurung AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7243810 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature