Title
Theobroma cacao L. compounds: Theoretical study and molecular modeling as inhibitors of main SARS-CoV-2 protease
Date Issued
01 August 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Yañez O.
Osorio M.I.
Vasquez-Espinal A.
Bravo J.
Sandoval-Aldana A.
Pérez-Donoso J.M.
González-Nilo F.
Matos M.J.
Osorio E.
García-Beltrán O.
Tiznado W.
Universidad de Chile
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Masson s.r.l.
Abstract
Cocoa beans contain antioxidant molecules with the potential to inhibit type 2 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes a severe acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19). In particular, protease. Therefore, using in silico tests, 30 molecules obtained from cocoa were evaluated. Using molecular docking and quantum mechanics calculations, the chemical properties and binding efficiency of each ligand was evaluated, which allowed the selection of 5 compounds of this series. The ability of amentoflavone, isorhoifolin, nicotiflorin, naringin and rutin to bind to the main viral protease was studied by means of free energy calculations and structural analysis performed from molecular dynamics simulations of the enzyme/inhibitor complex. Isorhoifolin and rutin stand out, presenting a more negative binding ΔG than the reference inhibitor N-[(5-methylisoxazol-3-yl)carbonyl]alanyl-L-valyl-N~1~-((1R,2Z)−4-(benzyloxy)−4-oxo-1-{[(3R)−2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]methyl}but-2-enyl)-L-leucinamide (N3). These results are consistent with high affinities of these molecules for the major SARS-CoV-2. The results presented in this paper are a solid starting point for future in vitro and in vivo experiments aiming to validate these molecules and /or test similar substances as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 protease.
Volume
140
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Agricultura
Bioquímica, Biología molecular
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85106858783
PubMed ID
Source
Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy
ISSN of the container
07533322
Sponsor(s)
Olimpo García-Beltrán acknowledges funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation , the Ministry of Education , the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism , and ICETEX , Programme Ecosistema Científico-Colombia Científica, from the Francisco José de Caldas Fund , Grant RC-FP44842–212-2018 (Colombia), Angelica Sandoval-Aldana and Olimpo García-Beltrán, acknowledge funding from FONTAGRO ( ATN-RF 16109 RG , Maria João Matos would like to thank Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia ( FCT , CEECIND/02423/2018 and UIDB/00081/2020 ) (Portugal), William Tiznado acknowledges funding from the National Agency for Research and Development through ECOS170045 and FONDECYT projects 1211128 (Chile) and Osvaldo Yañez acknowledges funding from the ANID/PIA ACT192144 (Chile).
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus