Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39625895›Full record

ArticlePloS one2024

Integrated study of Quercetin as a potent SARS-CoV-2 RdRp inhibitor: Binding interactions, MD simulations, and In vitro assays.

Ahmed M Metwaly, Esmail M El-Fakharany, Aisha A Alsfouk, Ibrahim M Ibrahim, Eslam B Elkaeed, Ibrahim H Eissa

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Pharmaceutics · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ahmed M MetwalyPharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.ORCID 0000-0001-8566-1980
Esmail M El-FakharanyProtein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt.
Aisha A AlsfoukDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-4497-5013
Ibrahim M IbrahimBiophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Eslam B ElkaeedDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ibrahim H EissaPharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To find an effective inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2, Quercetin's chemical structure was compared to nine ligands associated with nine key SARS-CoV-2 proteins. It was found that Quercetin closely resembles Remdesivir, the co-crystallized ligand of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). This similarity was confirmed through flexible alignment experiments and molecular docking studies, which showed that both Quercetin and Remdesivir bind similarly to the active site of RdRp. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations over a 200 ns trajectory, analyzing various factors like RMSD, RG, RMSF, SASA, and hydrogen bonding were conducted. These simulations gave detailed insights into the binding interactions of Quercetin with RdRp compared to Remdesivir. Further analyses, including MM-GBSA, Protein-Ligand Interaction Fingerprints (ProLIF) and Profile PLIP studies, confirmed the stability of Quercetin's binding. Principal component analysis of trajectories (PCAT) provided insights into the coordinated movements within the systems studied. In vitro assays showed that Quercetin is highly effective in inhibiting RdRp, with an IC50 of 122.1 ±5.46 nM, which is better than Remdesivir's IC50 of 21.62 ±2.81 μM. Moreover, Quercetin showed greater efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 In vitro, with an IC50 of 1.149 μg/ml compared to Remdesivir's 9.54 μg/ml. The selectivity index (SI) values highlighted Quercetin's safety margin (SI: 791) over Remdesivir (SI: 6). In conclusion, our comprehensive study suggests that Quercetin is a promising candidate for further research as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp, providing valuable insights for developing an effective anti-COVID-19 treatment.

Indexed as

AlanineAntiviral AgentsMolecular Docking SimulationMolecular Dynamics SimulationQuercetinSARS-CoV-2Adenosine MonophosphateBinding SitesCOVID-19COVID-19 Drug TreatmentHumansLigandsProtein BindingRNA-Dependent RNA PolymeraseAdenosine MonophosphateAlanineAntiviral AgentsLigandsQuercetinremdesivirRNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase

Identifiers

PMID39625895
PMCPMC11614241

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.