Open AccessRepurposing of Anthelmintic Drugs against SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro and RdRp): Novel Disease, Older Therapeutics
Author(s) -
Rameshwar S. Cheke,
Rohan R. Narkhede,
Sachin D. Shinde,
Jaya P. Ambhore,
Pritam S. Jain
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
letters in applied nanobioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2284-6808
DOI - 10.33263/lianbs102.23312338
Subject(s) - repurposing , in silico , pharmacology , drug repositioning , ivermectin , protease , anthelmintic , virology , biology , drug , computational biology , medicine , veterinary medicine , enzyme , biochemistry , ecology , gene
Since late December 2019, the entire nations are facing the novel enemy of COVID-19, which has imposed a tremendous burden on the researchers across the globe to develop a treatment for it. Recognition of main protease and RNA dependent RNA polymerases as a promising target of SARS-CoV-2 encouraged us to repurpose some older antihelmintic drugs against COVID-19. In this constructive research, we have investigated anthelmintic drugs' antiviral activity, including ivermectin, doramectin, and selamectin, for their antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2 by employing in silico tools. The selected drugs, including ivermectin, doramectin, and selamectin, were encountered as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerases with an affinity of -9.2, -10.0, and -10.2 kcal/mol. They were found to exhibit main protease inhibitor activity with an affinity of -8.3, -8.7, and -9.0, respectively. Thus, using the repurposing approach in conjugation within silico tools, we have proposed ivermectin, doramectin, and selamectin as potential antivirals against SARS-CoV-2.