Virtual screening for functional foods against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The special attention was paid on the interaction between functional foods and the main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Here, 10,870 ligands were employed and screened by the molecular docking, which involved 12 kinds of functional foods (carbohydrates, fatty acids, phospholipids, vitamin, β-sitosterol, flavonoids, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, curcumin, nootkatone, β-pinene, tincturoid, betulinic acid, and their isomers/analogs/derivatives). Then, 60 ligands were obtained with the good docking affinity. Most of them belong to quercetrin and its isomers/analogs/derivatives, which also showed the highest affinity for the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. The dynamic simulation indicated that quercetrin-protease and quercetrin-analog-protease showed the excellent stability. Compared with reported docking results, quercetrin should be the best inhibitor for the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. Considering the green and white tea are rich in quercetrin and its isomers/analogs/derivatives, tea and relative beverages may become a good option to regulate our metabolism and help us to overcome this special time.