Identification of potential binders of the main protease 3CL(pro) of the COVID-19 via structure-based ligand design and molecular modeling #MMPMID32313296
Macchiagodena M; Pagliai M; Procacci P
Chem Phys Lett 2020[Jul]; 750 (?): 137489 PMID32313296show ga
We have applied a computational strategy, using a combination of virtual screening, docking and molecular dynamics techniques, aimed at identifying possible lead compounds for the non-covalent inhibition of the main protease 3CL(pro) of the SARS-CoV2 Coronavirus. Based on the X-ray structure (PDB code: 6LU7), ligands were generated using a multimodal structure-based design and then docked to the monomer in the active state. Docking calculations show that ligand-binding is strikingly similar in SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2 main proteases. The most potent docked ligands are found to share a common binding pattern with aromatic moieties connected by rotatable bonds in a pseudo-linear arrangement.