Issue 10, 2022

Selective covalent targeting of SARS-CoV-2 main protease by enantiopure chlorofluoroacetamide

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated the development of antiviral agents against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The main protease (Mpro) is a promising target for COVID-19 treatment. Here, we report an irreversible SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor possessing chlorofluoroacetamide (CFA) as a warhead for the covalent modification of Mpro. Ugi multicomponent reaction using chlorofluoroacetic acid enabled the rapid synthesis of dipeptidic CFA derivatives that identified 18 as a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Among the four stereoisomers, (R,R)-18 exhibited a markedly higher inhibitory activity against Mpro than the other isomers. Reaction kinetics and computational docking studies suggest that the R configuration of the CFA warhead is crucial for the rapid covalent inhibition of Mpro. Our findings highlight the prominent influence of the CFA chirality on the covalent modification of proteinous cysteines and provide the basis for improving the potency and selectivity of CFA-based covalent inhibitors.

Graphical abstract: Selective covalent targeting of SARS-CoV-2 main protease by enantiopure chlorofluoroacetamide

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
26 Nov. 2021
Accepted
15 Febr. 2022
First published
15 Febr. 2022
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 3027-3034

Selective covalent targeting of SARS-CoV-2 main protease by enantiopure chlorofluoroacetamide

D. Yamane, S. Onitsuka, S. Re, H. Isogai, R. Hamada, T. Hiramoto, E. Kawanishi, K. Mizuguchi, N. Shindo and A. Ojida, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 3027 DOI: 10.1039/D1SC06596C

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