Molecular Docking of Seaweed-Derived Drug Fucoxanthin Against the Monkeypox Virus

Background The monkeypox virus (MPXV) is classified as a zoonotic virus of the Poxviridae family, resulting from the MPXV strain of the Orthopoxvirus genus. Seaweeds, or marine macroalgae, are abundant reservoirs of bioactive compounds that demonstrate diverse biological properties, such as antiviral actions. In the field of computational analysis, in silico analysis refers to the use of computer-based methods to study and assess biological systems and processes. To forecast the binding affinity and interaction between the discovered chemical and the target proteins of the MPXV, a molecular docking analysis was conducted. Aim The research aims to conduct an in silico examination of a protein-ligand interaction of a drug produced from seaweed that targets the MPXV.  Methodology Protein Data Bank (PDB) and PubChem databases provided MPXV methyltransferase and fucoxanthin ligand compounds. AutoDockTools 1.5.7 calculated the molecular docking using the Lamarckian genetic algorithm. Autogrid created a grid box around target 8B07 active site hotspot residues. Each docked molecule's docking parameters were obtained from 100 docking experiments with a maximum of 2.5 × 10⁶ energy evaluations, a 0.02 mutation rate, and a 0.8 crossover rate. The population comprised 250 randomly selected volunteers. PyMOL was utilized to observe ligand fragment interactions. Results The binding energy of the ligand fucoxanthin was -5.46 kcal/mol. Fucoxanthin interacts with receptor molecules via hydrogen bonding at the amino acid level: Chain A: PHE188 and TYR189; and Chain B: LYS33, GLN37, GLY38, GLY96, ARG97, PHE115, PRO202, and SER203. The higher the negative docking score, the stronger the binding affinity between the receptor and ligand molecules, indicating that bioactive substances are more effective. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that fucoxanthin, a pharmaceutical derivative generated from seaweed, had antiviral activity against the MPXV. This conclusion was reached based on protein-ligand interactions.