Repurposing of Anthelmintic Drugs against SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro and RdRp): Novel Disease, Older Therapeutics

Abstract

Since late December 2019, the entire nations are facing the novel enemy of COVID-19, which has imposed a tremendous burden on the researchers across the globe to develop a treatment for it. Recognition of main protease and RNA dependent RNA polymerases as a promising target of SARS-CoV-2 encouraged us to repurpose some older antihelmintic drugs against COVID-19. In this constructive research, we have investigated anthelmintic drugs' antiviral activity, including ivermectin, doramectin, and selamectin, for their antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2 by employing in silico tools. The selected drugs, including ivermectin, doramectin, and selamectin, were encountered as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerases with an affinity of-9.2,-10.0, and-10.2 kcal/mol. They were found to exhibit main protease inhibitor activity with an affinity of-8.3,-8.7, and-9.0, respectively. Thus, using the repurposing approach in conjugation within silico tools, we have proposed ivermectin, doramectin, and selamectin as potential antivirals against SARS-CoV-2.