Design of new isatins as possible 3CLpro SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors
SARS-CoV-2; Protease; Isatin derivatives; Synthesis; Inhibitor
The recent COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has brought irreparable damage to the world. While substantial progress in clinical research has led to a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and the management of COVID-19, limiting the spread of this virus and its variants has become an irrefutable issue. The viral 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease enzyme (3CLpro) controls the replication of the coronavirus and is essential for its life cycle. Isatin derivatives have reported inhibition of 3CLpro SARS-CoV-2 protease at the sub molar scale. Considering all the structural information of the 3CLpro protease and its inhibitors, as well as all the advances regarding the pathology in question, this work presents the planning of three isatin series developed as possible anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds capable of acting as protease inhibitors of the 3CLpro. The compounds proposed in this project are based on classic organic synthesis reactions such as N-acetylation and Knoevenagel condensation, and more complex chemical reactions such as Wittig and Strecker. In addition to investigating the in vitro inhibition profile of 3CLpro SARS-CoV-2, the most promising compounds will be evaluated against SARS-CoV-2 strains and by pharmacokinetic studies. Furthermore, theoretical studies of anchorage, associated with the correlations between the structures and their activities, can support the development of potent inhibitors of 3CLpro SARS-CoV-2. The predictions of conformations and molecular interactions presented in this work suggest a possible inhibitory activity of the proposed 3CLpro SARS-CoV-2 protease derivatives, and corroborate the execution of this project