500
Volume 5, Issue 10: Special Issue
(EJAR)
ISSN: 2181-2020
MPHAPP
THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL
CONFERENCE
“
MODERN PHARMACEUTICS: ACTUAL
PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
”
TASHKENT, OCTOBER 17, 2025
in-academy.uz
POLYPHENOLS AS POTENTIAL INHIBITORS OF SARS-COV-2 CORONAVIRUS:
AN
IN SILICO
STUDY
Abdulladjanova N.G.
Makhmudov R.R.
Rakhimov R.N.
Gayibov U.G.
Institute of Bioorganic chemistry, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Tashkent city, Republic
of Uzbekistan
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17343354
Relevance.
Currently, the search for antiviral substances is carried out in two ways: 1.
Repurposing existing and screening newly synthesized compounds. 2. Targeted search for natural
biologically active substances, in most cases, using computer modeling. The main disadvantage of
all currently used drugs is their fairly high toxicity and, as a consequence, the presence of side effects.
In the development of new drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, polyphenolic compounds are of
particular interest. Studies conducted by scientists from different countries have shown that plant
polyphenols are promising polyfunctional compounds with great potential as active ingredients for
the creation of new pharmaceutical substances with antiviral activity.
Considering the importance of early screening of bioactive compounds for potential drug
discovery or prevention of viral infections,
the aim of this study
was to conduct a virtual screening
of polyphenols for the potential to inhibit vital proteins of SARS CoV-2 coronavirus using a
molecular docking method.
Materials and methods:
In silico molecular screening of several SARS-CoV-2 non-structural
proteins and natural polyphenolic compounds was performed using the molecular docking method.
The structures of SARS-CoV-2 proteins: ADP-binding domain NSP3, main protease NSP5, RNA-
dependent RNA polymerase NSP12, endoribonuclease NSP15 were obtained from the Protein Data
Bank (PDB). The structures of 15 polyphenols of different groups isolated from Euphorbia
ferganensis B.Fedtsch. and plants were identified by LC-MS, with interpretation of mass spectra,
compared with those reported in the literature. The following public databases were used in the
identification
process:
Chemical
Entities
of
Biological
Interest
(ChEBI,
https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/),
Chemical
Compounds
Deep
Data
Source
(https://www.molinstincts.com/), ChemSpider (www.chemspider.com) and Phenol_Explorer
(www.phenol-explorer.eu).
Results:
The interactions of 15 gallic acid derivatives and 7 tannins with DNA-dependent RNA
polymerase, NSP5, NSP12, and NSP6 enzymes were studied. As part of the analysis, the localization
in the enzyme active site, the nature of interactions (hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic contacts, π-π
stacking, etc.), and the amino acid residues involved in the binding were determined for each
compound. In addition, the binding affinity values were calculated, which made it possible to
quantitatively evaluate the strength and stability of the ligand-target complexes. According to the
analysis results, hepta-galloyl-glucose, gallic acid, and protocatechuic acid showed high affinity for
the NSP12 and NSP16 proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This allows us to recommend these
compounds as potential inhibitors against the virus for further in vitro and in vivo studies. Based on
the data obtained, the most promising compounds with a pronounced ability to inhibit the activity of
DNA-dependent RNA polymerase are selected.
501
Volume 5, Issue 10: Special Issue
(EJAR)
ISSN: 2181-2020
MPHAPP
THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL
CONFERENCE
“
MODERN PHARMACEUTICS: ACTUAL
PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
”
TASHKENT, OCTOBER 17, 2025
in-academy.uz
Conclusions:
Hepta-galloyl-glucose, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid are considered as
potential candidates for subsequent verification of antiviral activity in vitro and in vivo experiments.
This approach represents an important step in the development of new natural antiviral drugs.
