The ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a matter of great concern. Although the mortality rate caused by this virus is less than that of SARS and MERS, it is showing higher efficacy in terms of human-to-human transmission. Several strategies have been taken by scientists and researchers worldwide to combat this virus. Numerous phytochemicals and synthesized chemicals are under incessant inspection to obtain a potent anti-covid drug. Since, till now no precise therapy is available for covid patients, researchers are trying to categorize all possible anti-covid substances. Repurposing of drugs and combined drug therapy are becoming popular in treating such viral diseases. In this study, we are proposing the repurposing of three chemicals-Dextromethorphan, Prednisolone and Dexamethasone as anti-covid agents. We have used the tertiary structure of Coronavirus main protease (Mpro) with PDB ID 6LU7 as the target protein in this analysis. Molecular docking and dynamics study further revealed their synergistic effect against the COVID-19 protease protein. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
In silico screening predicts common cold drug Dextromethorphan along with Prednisolone and Dexamethasone can be effective against novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)