Vitamin D is a New Promising Inhibitor to the Main Protease (Mpro) of COVID-19 by Molecular Docking

Abstract

In this study, vitamin D has shown greater efficacy of binding with Mpro of COVID-19 compared to the recently recommended drugs. The docking study was simulated to streamline interaction effects of Vitamin D, Remdesivir, Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, Aspirin, and Azithromycin complexes with the active site of Mpro. Vitamin D is found to have the highest potential interaction in terms of total H-bond, van der Waal, torsional, and desolvation energy which were the lowest among all the selected drugs. The hydroxyl group of vitamin D and the thiol group of Mpro cysteine had played a leading role in increasing Vitamin D binding and stability with the Mpro pocket by contribution to the inception of three hydrogen bonds. The study recommend that vitamin D can be added to the COVID-19 treatment protocol, which may have the desired effect on viral replication inhibition and decreases mortality.