In silico study identifies RO 28-2653 as a novel drug against SARS-CoV2 mutant strains

Abstract

Introduction: Concerning the current pandemic situation, the world is facing due to the highly infectious coronavirus (SARS-CoV2), we aim to gain some insight into the pre-existing drugs and compounds for curing the disease. Method: Here, we have studied the interaction of 10 drug molecules by in silico study against three targets, Angiotensin Convertase Enzyme-2 receptor (ACE-2), main protease (Mpro) and RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) and further analysed the interaction of the best docked compound against spike mutants. Results: By analysing the protein-ligand interactions by docking, and molecular dynamics simulation, it proves that RO 28-2653 can be a potent candidate drug for future COVID treatment even against the mutant strains. Conclusion: The used drugs have been implicated in asthma, hypertension, etc., so repurposing these drugs can have a beneficial role on COVID-19, keeping in mind that any drug should be used in a certain prescribed dosage.