Download MendeleyDevelopment of Highly Potent Noncovalent Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro.
Hou, N., Shuai, L., Zhang, L., Xie, X., Tang, K., Zhu, Y., Yu, Y., Zhang, W., Tan, Q., Zhong, G., Wen, Z., Wang, C., He, X., Huo, H., Gao, H., Xu, Y., Xue, J., Peng, C., Zou, J., Schindewolf, C., Menachery, V., Su, W., Yuan, Y., Shen, Z., Zhang, R., Yuan, S., Yu, H., Shi, P.Y., Bu, Z., Huang, J., Hu, Q.(2023) ACS Cent Sci 9: 217-227
- PubMed: 36844503
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.2c01359
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
7EN8, 7EN9, 7END, 7ENE - PubMed Abstract:
The 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is an essential enzyme for the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses and thus is a target for coronavirus drug discovery. Nearly all inhibitors of coronavirus 3CLpro reported so far are covalent inhibitors. Here, we report the development of specific, noncovalent inhibitors of 3CLpro. The most potent one, WU-04, effectively blocks SARS-CoV-2 replications in human cells with EC 50 values in the 10-nM range. WU-04 also inhibits the 3CLpro of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV with high potency, indicating that it is a pan-inhibitor of coronavirus 3CLpro. WU-04 showed anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity similar to that of PF-07321332 (Nirmatrelvir) in K18-hACE2 mice when the same dose was administered orally. Thus, WU-04 is a promising drug candidate for coronavirus treatment.
Organizational Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University; Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China.
