Identification of flavonoid-based small molecule inhibitors with dual-targeting capability against RdRp and Mpro of...

Due to issues of high transmissibility, immune evasion, and drug resistance in SARS-CoV-2 variants, there is an urgent need for novel antiviral drugs. Plant-derived flavonoids such as baicalein (EC₅₀ = 4.5 μM) and baicalin (EC₅₀ = 9.0 μM) exhibit broad-spectrum antiviral potential via RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibition. Based on this, our study identified two derivatives through pharmacophore alignment between flavonoid scaffolds and the main protease (Mpro) inhibitor 13b: a psoralen-derived lignan (Comp.1) and a novel isoflavone analog (Comp.2), with dual-targeting capability against SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and Mpro. Computational docking elucidated the binding interactions of compounds with RdRp, Mpro, and the L50F/E166V double mutant Mpro. In vitro assays demonstrated that Comp.1 exhibited micromolar-range inhibitory effects on both RdRp (EC₅₀: 25.45 μM) and Mpro (IC₅₀: 125.4 μM), outperforming Comp.2. Both compounds maintained inhibitory activity against the PF07321332-resistant L50F/E166V double mutant Mpro, with IC₅₀ fold-change values of 1.23 and 1.18, respectively, compared to an 8.62-fold reduction for PF07321332. However, ADMET evaluation indicated that although compounds met basic physicochemical criteria (including molecular weight, TPSA, and compliance with Lipinski's Rule of Five), they still presented critical toxicological liabilities, including high genotoxicity risk (Comp.1: 0.838 probability) and CYP3A4 inhibition (>0.97), necessitating extensive structural optimization. This study confirms that flavonoid derivatives represent promising starting points for developing resistance-aware antiviral agents, though their current profiles classify them as early-stage leads requiring substantial optimization.