SCIENCE: Yang Shengyong/Rai Jian and/Zheng Yongyong have collaborated to find SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors with antiviral activity

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to pose a serious threat to global public health.
, despite intensive responses around the world, morbidity and mortality rates remain high and many countries face a new wave of infection.
because of the limited number of antiviral drugs available to fight SARS-CoV-2 infections, there is an urgent need to develop specific antiviral drugs for SARS-CoV-2.
main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a central role in virus replication.
recently, researchers in China designed and synthesized 32 new Mpro inhibitors containing bicyclic alanine, derived from Boceprevir or Teleprevir, two approved antiviral drugs.
all compounds inhibit the activity of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in-body, with IC50 values between 7.6 and 748.5 nM.
the cocrystalline structure of Mpro and MI-23, one of the most effective compounds, reveals its interaction patterns.
two compounds (MI-09 and MI-30) showed excellent antiviral activity in cell-based trials.
in models of genetically modified mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, oral or intra-abdominal MI-09 or MI-30 dosing significantly reduced lung viral load and lung lesions.
addition, the two drugs also showed good pharmacodynamic properties and safety in rats.