Potential Papain-like Protease Inhibitors Against COVID-19: A Comprehensive In Silico Based Review

The entire world has been in a battle against the COVID-19 pandemic since its first appearance in December 2019. Thus researchers are desperately working to find an effective and safe therapeutic agent for its treatment. The multifunctional coronavirus enzyme papain-like protease (PLpro) is a potential target for drug discovery to combat the ongoing pandemic responsible for cleavage of the polypeptide, deISGylation, and suppression of host immune response. The present review collates the in silico studies performed on various FDA-approved drugs, chemical compounds, and phytochemicals from various drug databases and represents the compounds possessing the potential to inhibit PLpro. Thus this review can provide quick access to a potential candidate to medicinal chemists to perform in vitro and in vivo experiments who are thriving to find the effective agents for the treatment of COVID-19.