Cucurbitacin D for COVID-19

Because of the present pandemic researchers are seeking for phytocandidates that can inhibit or stop SARS-CoV-2. The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 and spike glycoprotein (S) are both suppressed by bioactive compounds found in plants that work by docking them together. The Mpro proteins 6LU7 (complex with an inhibitor N3) and 5C3N (space group C2221) were employed in docking research. PyRx and AutoDock Vina software were used as docking engine. 22 identified phytoconstituents were selected from IMPPAT, a manually curated database, on the basis of their antiviral effects. Docking studies showed that phytoconstituents β-amyrin (-8.4 kcal/mol), withaferin A (-8.3 kcal/mol), oleanolic acid (-7.8 kcal/mol), and patentiflorin A (-8.1 kcal/mol) had the best results against 5C3N Mpro protein whereas kuwanon L (-7.1 kcal/mol), β-amyrin (-6.9 kcal/mol), oleanolic acid (-6.8 kcal/mol), cucurbitacin D (-6.5 kcal/mol), and quercetin (-6.5 kcal/mol) against 6LU7 Mpro protein. All the compounds were examined for their ADMET characteristics using SwissDock. Present research reports that the phytoconstituents along with docking score will be helpful for future drug development against Covid-19.