Policresulen, a novel NS2B/NS3 protease inhibitor, effectively inhibits the replication of DENV2 virus in BHK-21 cells

Abstract

Aim: Dengue is a severe epidemic disease caused by dengue virus (DENV) infection, for which no effective treatment is available. The protease complex, consisting of nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) and its cofactor NS2B, plays a pivotal role in the replication of DENV, thus may be a potential target for anti-DENV drugs. Here, we report a novel inhibitor of DENV2 NS2B/NS3 protease and its antiviral action. Methods: An enzymatic inhibition assay was used for screening DENV2 NS2B/NS3 inhibitors. Cytotoxicity to BHK-21 cells was assessed with MTT assay. Antiviral activity was evaluated in BHK-21 cells transfected with Rlu-DENV-Rep. The molecular mechanisms of the antiviral action was analyzed using surface plasmon resonance, ultraviolet-visible spectral analysis and differential scanning calorimetry assays, as well as molecular docking analysis combined with site-directed mutagenesis. Results: In our in-house library of old drugs (~1000 compounds), a topical hemostatic and antiseptic 2-hydroxy-3,5-bis[(4-hydroxy-2-methyl-5-sulfophenyl)methyl]-4-methyl-benzene-sulfonic acid (policresulen) was found to be a potent inhibitor of DENV2 NS2B/NS3 protease with IC 50 of 0.48 μg/mL. Furthermore, policresulen inhibited DENV2 replication in BHK-21 cells with IC 50 of 4.99 μg/mL, whereas its IC 50 for cytotoxicity to BHK-21 cells was 459.45 μg/mL. Policresulen acted as a competitive inhibitor of the protease, and slightly affected the protease stability. Using biophysical technology-based assays and molecular docking analysis combined with sitedirected mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the residues Gln106 and Arg133 of DENV2 NS2B/NS3 protease directly interacted with policresulen via hydrogen bonding. Conclusion: Policresulen is a potent inhibitor of DENV2 NS2B/NS3 protease that inhibits DENV2 replication in BHK-21 cells. The binding mode of the protease and policresulen provides useful hints for designing new type of inhibitors against the protease.

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“…Hence, to overcome such situation presently, available more resources, much faster, and advance scientific techniques need to be adopted and explored. Earlier, a number of studies have proposed various traditional and specific methods for the identification of different chemical entities and demonstrated their selective inhibition mechanism and inhibitory efficacy against NS3‐NS2B protease complex at different levels …”

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