Journal Article

FZJ-2021-02077

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png The Repurposed Drugs Suramin and Quinacrine Cooperatively Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro In Vitro

Eberle, R. (Corresponding author)FZJ* ; Olivier, D. S. ; Amaral, M. S. ; Gering, I.FZJ* ; Willbold, D.FZJ* ; Arni, R. K. ; Coronado, M. A.FZJ*

2021
MDPI Basel

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/29698  doi:10.3390/v13050873

Abstract: Since the first report of a new pneumonia disease in December 2019 (Wuhan, China) the WHO reported more than 148 million confirmed cases and 3.1 million losses globally up to now. The causative agent of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide, resulting in a pandemic of unprecedented magnitude. To date, several clinically safe and efficient vaccines (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines) as well as drugs for emergency use have been approved. However, increasing numbers of SARS-Cov-2 variants make it imminent to identify an alternative way to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. A well-known strategy to identify molecules with inhibitory potential against SARS-CoV-2 proteins is repurposing clinically developed drugs, e.g., antiparasitic drugs. The results described in this study demonstrated the inhibitory potential of quinacrine and suramin against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CLpro). Quinacrine and suramin molecules presented a competitive and noncompetitive inhibition mode, respectively, with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments demonstrated that quinacrine and suramin alone possessed a moderate or weak affinity with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro but suramin binding increased quinacrine interaction by around a factor of eight. Using docking and molecular dynamics simulations, we identified a possible binding mode and the amino acids involved in these interactions. Our results suggested that suramin, in combination with quinacrine, showed promising synergistic efficacy to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. We suppose that the identification of effective, synergistic drug combinations could lead to the design of better treatments for the COVID-19 disease and repurposable drug candidates offer fast therapeutic breakthroughs, mainly in a pandemic moment.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Strukturbiochemie (IBI-7)

Research Program(s):

1. 5244 - Information Processing in Neuronal Networks (POF4-524) (POF4-524)

Appears in the scientific report 2021

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