Pharmacology of Chloroquine: Potential Mechanism of Action against Coronavirus

Authors

  • Arun HS Kumar Director Stemcology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Room 216, Belfield, Dublin-04, IRELAND.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5530/bems.6.1.3

Keywords:

Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, Protease inhibitors, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Antiviral drugs, SARS-CoV-2, Viral entry

Abstract

Background: Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are recently reported to be effective in treating SARS-CoV-2 illness. The pharmacological mechanisms of this clinical benefit are continued to be explored. Materials and Methods: Using molecular docking tools in this study the binding affinity of Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine were tested against two key SARS-CoV-2 targets i.e., 1) surface glycoprotein (6VSB) involved in viral attachment and 2) main protease (6Y84) involved in viral replication. Results: Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine showed very effective binding affinity against both the SARS-CoV-2 targets. While the binding affinity against main protease was higher, multiple binding sites were observed on the surface glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquinehave the potential to prevent SARS-CoV-2 attachment, entry and replication by directly binding to SARS-CoV-2 surface glycoprotein and its main protease.

Molecular docking images of Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine against SARS-CoV-2 surface glycoprotein (6VSB)

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Published

2020-05-21

How to Cite

Kumar, A. H. . (2020). Pharmacology of Chloroquine: Potential Mechanism of Action against Coronavirus. Biology, Engineering, Medicine and Science Reports, 6(1), 09–10. https://doi.org/10.5530/bems.6.1.3

Issue

Section

Original Research Article