1. Academic Validation
  2. Naphthalen-1-ylethanamine-containing small molecule inhibitors of the papain-like protease of SARS-CoV-2

Naphthalen-1-ylethanamine-containing small molecule inhibitors of the papain-like protease of SARS-CoV-2

  • Eur J Med Chem. 2024 Oct 18:280:116963. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116963.
Kouki Shinohara 1 Takuya Kobayakawa 1 Kohei Tsuji 1 Yuki Takamatsu 2 Hiroaki Mitsuya 3 Hirokazu Tamamura 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0062, Japan.
  • 2 Department of Refractory Viral Infections, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.
  • 3 Department of Refractory Viral Infections, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan; Experimental Retrovirology Section, HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, United States; Department of Clinical Sciences, Kumamoto University Hospital, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
  • 4 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0062, Japan. Electronic address: tamamura.mr@tmd.ac.jp.
Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has not yet been eradicated. SARS-CoV-2 has two types of proteases, a main protease (Mpro) and a papain-like protease (PLpro), which together process two translated non-structural polyproteins, pp1a and pp1ab, to produce functional Viral Proteins. In this study, effective inhibitors against PLpro of SARS-CoV-2 were designed and synthesized using GRL-0048 as a lead. A docking simulation of GRL-0048 and SARS-CoV-2 PLpro showed that GRL-0048 noncovalently interacts with PLpro, and there is a newly identified binding pocket in PLpro. Structure-activity relationship studies were next performed on GRL-0048, resulting in the development of several inhibitors, specifically compounds 1, 2b, and 3h, that have more potent inhibitory activity than GRL-0048.

Keywords

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Docking simulation; Papain-like protease inhibitor; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

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