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Interrelated Mechanism by Which the Methide Quinone Celastrol, Obtained from the Roots of Tripterygium wilfordii, Inhibits Main Protease $3CL^{pro}$ of COVID-19 and Acts as Superoxide Radical Scavenger
| Content Provider | MDPI |
|---|---|
| Author | Caruso, Francesco Singh, Manrose Belli, Stuart Berinato, Molly Rossi, Miriam |
| Copyright Year | 2020 |
| Description | We describe the potential anti coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) action of the methide quinone inhibitor, celastrol. The related methide quinone dexamethasone is, so far, among COVID-19 medications perhaps the most effective drug for patients with severe symptoms. We observe a parallel redox biology behavior between the antioxidant action of celastrol when scavenging the superoxide radical, and the adduct formation of celastrol with the main COVID-19 protease. The related molecular mechanism is envisioned using molecular mechanics and dynamics calculations. It proposes a covalent bond between the S(Cys145) amino acid thiolate and the celastrol A ring, assisted by proton transfers by His164 and His41 amino acids, and a π interaction from Met49 to the celastrol B ring. Specifically, celastrol possesses two moieties that are able to independently scavenge the superoxide radical: the carboxylic framework located at ring E, and the methide-quinone ring A. The latter captures the superoxide electron, releasing molecular oxygen, and is the feature of interest that correlates with the mechanism of COVID-19 inhibition. This unusual scavenging of the superoxide radical is described using density functional theory (DFT) methods, and is supported experimentally by cyclic voltammetry and X-ray diffraction. |
| Starting Page | 9266 |
| e-ISSN | 14220067 |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijms21239266 |
| Journal | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Issue Number | 23 |
| Volume Number | 21 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Publisher Date | 2020-12-04 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | International Journal of Molecular Sciences Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Celastrol Methide Quinone Covid-19 Thiolate Protease Cyclic Voltammetry |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |