Pharmacology of Chloroquine: Potential Mechanism of Action against Coronavirus

Arun HS  Kumar

doi:10.5530/bems.6.1.3

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-₂illness. 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-₂targets 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-₂surface glycoprotein and its main protease.