Open Access
Open access
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, volume 10, issue 5, pages 766-788

Analysis of therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of potential drugs by computational methods

Canrong Wu 1
Yang Liu 2
YUEYING YANG 2
Peng Zhang 2
Zhong Wu 3
Yali Wang 2
Qiqi Wang 2
Yang Xu 2
Ming-Xue Li 2
Xingzhou Li 3
Mengzhu Zheng 1
Lei Chen 2
Hua Li 4, 5
Publication typeJournal Article
Publication date2020-05-01
Quartile SCImago
Q1
Quartile WOS
Q1
Impact factor14.5
ISSN22113835, 22113843
General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has caused tens of thousands of infections and more than one thousand deaths. There are currently no registered therapies for treating coronavirus infections. Because of time consuming process of new drug development, drug repositioning may be the only solution to the epidemic of sudden infectious diseases. We systematically analyzed all the proteins encoded by SARS-CoV-2 genes, compared them with proteins from other coronaviruses, predicted their structures, and built 19 structures that could be done by homology modeling. By performing target-based virtual ligand screening, a total of 21 targets (including two human targets) were screened against compound libraries including ZINC drug database and our own database of natural products. Structure and screening results of important targets such as 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), Spike, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and papain like protease (PLpro) were discussed in detail. In addition, a database of 78 commonly used anti-viral drugs including those currently on the market and undergoing clinical trials for SARS-CoV-2 was constructed. Possible targets of these compounds and potential drugs acting on a certain target were predicted. This study will provide new lead compounds and targets for further in vitro and in vivo studies of SARS-CoV-2, new insights for those drugs currently ongoing clinical studies, and also possible new strategies for drug repositioning to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. Twenty structures including 19 SARS-CoV-2 targets and one human target were built by homology modeling. Library of ZINC drug database, natural products, 78 anti-viral drugs were screened against these targets plus human ACE2. This study provides drug repositioning candidates and targets for further in vitro and in vivo studies of SARS-CoV-2.

Top-30

Citations by journals

10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics
75 publications, 4.93%
Molecules
38 publications, 2.5%
Frontiers in Pharmacology
27 publications, 1.77%
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
24 publications, 1.58%
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences
19 publications, 1.25%
Scientific Reports
18 publications, 1.18%
Viruses
16 publications, 1.05%
Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy
15 publications, 0.99%
PLoS ONE
14 publications, 0.92%
RSC Advances
14 publications, 0.92%
Pharmaceuticals
13 publications, 0.85%
European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
12 publications, 0.79%
Journal of Molecular Structure
12 publications, 0.79%
Frontiers in Immunology
11 publications, 0.72%
Heliyon
11 publications, 0.72%
European Journal of Pharmacology
11 publications, 0.72%
F1000Research
10 publications, 0.66%
Frontiers in Microbiology
10 publications, 0.66%
Briefings in Bioinformatics
10 publications, 0.66%
ChemistrySelect
9 publications, 0.59%
Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal
9 publications, 0.59%
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B
9 publications, 0.59%
Informatics in Medicine Unlocked
9 publications, 0.59%
Phytotherapy Research
9 publications, 0.59%
Future Virology
8 publications, 0.53%
Life Sciences
8 publications, 0.53%
Journal of Medical Virology
8 publications, 0.53%
Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
8 publications, 0.53%
Cells
7 publications, 0.46%
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80

Citations by publishers

50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Elsevier
325 publications, 21.35%
Springer Nature
177 publications, 11.63%
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
176 publications, 11.56%
Taylor & Francis
112 publications, 7.36%
Frontiers Media S.A.
100 publications, 6.57%
Wiley
76 publications, 4.99%
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
62 publications, 4.07%
Bentham Science
51 publications, 3.35%
American Chemical Society (ACS)
43 publications, 2.83%
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
29 publications, 1.91%
SAGE
17 publications, 1.12%
Oxford University Press
17 publications, 1.12%
Future Medicine
15 publications, 0.99%
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
15 publications, 0.99%
Dove Medical Press
14 publications, 0.92%
King Saud University
13 publications, 0.85%
Hindawi Limited
12 publications, 0.79%
F1000 Research
11 publications, 0.72%
Wolters Kluwer Health
11 publications, 0.72%
IOP Publishing
10 publications, 0.66%
Pleiades Publishing
7 publications, 0.46%
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
5 publications, 0.33%
S. Karger AG
4 publications, 0.26%
Xi'an Jiaotong University
4 publications, 0.26%
IEEE
4 publications, 0.26%
Cambridge University Press
4 publications, 0.26%
Walter de Gruyter
4 publications, 0.26%
American Society for Microbiology
4 publications, 0.26%
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
4 publications, 0.26%
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
  • We do not take into account publications without a DOI.
  • Statistics recalculated only for publications connected to researchers, organizations and labs registered on the platform.
  • Statistics recalculated weekly.

Are you a researcher?

Create a profile to get free access to personal recommendations for colleagues and new articles.
Metrics
Share
Cite this
GOST |
Cite this
GOST Copy
Wu C. et al. Analysis of therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of potential drugs by computational methods // Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B. 2020. Vol. 10. No. 5. pp. 766-788.
GOST all authors (up to 50) Copy
Wu C., Liu Y., YANG Y., Zhang P., Wu Z., Wang Y., Wang Q., Xu Y., Li M., Li X., Zheng M., Chen L., Li H. Analysis of therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of potential drugs by computational methods // Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B. 2020. Vol. 10. No. 5. pp. 766-788.
RIS |
Cite this
RIS Copy
TY - JOUR
DO - 10.1016/j.apsb.2020.02.008
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2020.02.008
TI - Analysis of therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of potential drugs by computational methods
T2 - Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B
AU - Wu, Canrong
AU - Liu, Yang
AU - YANG, YUEYING
AU - Zhang, Peng
AU - Wu, Zhong
AU - Wang, Yali
AU - Wang, Qiqi
AU - Xu, Yang
AU - Li, Ming-Xue
AU - Li, Xingzhou
AU - Zheng, Mengzhu
AU - Chen, Lei
AU - Li, Hua
PY - 2020
DA - 2020/05/01 00:00:00
PB - Elsevier
SP - 766-788
IS - 5
VL - 10
PMID - 32292689
SN - 2211-3835
SN - 2211-3843
ER -
BibTex |
Cite this
BibTex Copy
@article{2020_Wu,
author = {Canrong Wu and Yang Liu and YUEYING YANG and Peng Zhang and Zhong Wu and Yali Wang and Qiqi Wang and Yang Xu and Ming-Xue Li and Xingzhou Li and Mengzhu Zheng and Lei Chen and Hua Li},
title = {Analysis of therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of potential drugs by computational methods},
journal = {Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B},
year = {2020},
volume = {10},
publisher = {Elsevier},
month = {may},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2020.02.008},
number = {5},
pages = {766--788},
doi = {10.1016/j.apsb.2020.02.008}
}
MLA
Cite this
MLA Copy
Wu, Canrong, et al. “Analysis of therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of potential drugs by computational methods.” Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, vol. 10, no. 5, May. 2020, pp. 766-788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2020.02.008.
Found error?