Two novel oxetane containing lignans and a new megastigmane fromParonychia arabicaandin silicoanalysis of them as prospective SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors

Abstract

The chemical characterization of the extract of the aerial parts ofParonychia arabicaafforded two oxetane containing lignans, paronychiarabicine A (1) and B (2), and one new megastigmane, paronychiarabicastigmane A (3), alongside a known lignan (4), eight known phenolic compounds (5-12), one known elemene sesquiterpene (13) and one steroid glycoside (14). The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were constructed based upon the HRMS, 1D, and 2D-NMR results. The absolute configurations were establishedviaNOESY experiments as well as experimental and TDDFT-calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Utilizing molecular docking, the binding scores and modes of compounds1-3towards the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) were revealed. Compound3exhibited a promising docking score (−9.8 kcal mol−1) against SARS-CoV-2 Mproby forming seven hydrogen bonds inside the active site with the key amino acids. The reactome pathway enrichment analysis revealed a correlation between the inhibition ofGSK3andGSK3Bgenes (identified as the main targets of megastigmane treatment) and significant inhibition of SARS-CoV-1 viral replication in infected Vero E6 cells. Our results manifest a novel understanding of genes, proteins and corresponding pathways against SARS-CoV-2 infection and could facilitate the identification and characterization of novel therapeutic targets as treatments of SARS-CoV-2 infection.