Potential Candidates against COVID-19 Targeting RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase: A Comprehensive Review

Area of Science:

• * Virology and Drug Discovery
• * Computational Chemistry and Cheminformatics

Background:

• * Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is a highly contagious virus causing a global health threat.
• * The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is crucial for viral replication and a promising target for antiviral drug development.
• * RdRp's lack of human homologs enables the design of selective inhibitors, minimizing host cell toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To compile and review in silico studies identifying potential inhibitors of SARS-COV-2 RdRp.
• * To provide a resource for medicinal chemists to accelerate drug repurposing for COVID-19.
• * To highlight compounds with potential for further in vitro and in vivo validation.

Main Methods:

• * Comprehensive literature search for in silico studies (virtual screening, molecular docking).
• * Analysis of studies focusing on drug repurposing and phytochemical screening against SARS-COV-2 RdRp.
• * Collating identified compounds with inhibitory potential against the target enzyme.

Main Results:

• * Multiple existing drugs and phytochemicals have shown potential as SARS-COV-2 RdRp inhibitors through in silico analyses.
• * In silico approaches effectively screened large compound libraries and identified promising candidates for drug repurposing.
• * The reviewed studies provide a foundation for experimental validation of these compounds.

Conclusions:

• * In silico studies offer a rapid and cost-effective method for identifying potential SARS-COV-2 RdRp inhibitors.
• * Drug repurposing of identified compounds could expedite the development of treatments for COVID-19.
• * Further in vitro and in vivo studies are essential to confirm the efficacy and safety of these potential inhibitors.