Study on the interaction mechanism of penciclovir drug on 3CLpro of SAR-COV-2 by simulation methods

Abstract

Since the outbreak of SAR-CoV-2 infections in Wuhan (China), researched communication is on race to investigate the specific antiviral drug for Covid-19 treatment. 3CLpro main protease is chosen as a protein target because of its high value in preventing the SAR-CoV-2 viral replications. In this study, we hereby aim to clarify the efficiency of Penciclovir in inhibiting the mechanic of 3CLpro target of SAR-CoV-2. Using docking simulation and molecular dynamic simulation (SMD), the interaction of Penciclovir with 3CLpro target was investigated. The results show that Penciclovir strongly interacts with 3CLpro target, and the non-binding interaction plays a more important role than hydrogen bonding in the steady state of the receptor-ligand conformation.