Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Main Protease: Molecular docking of Puerarin as a Potential inhibitor

SARS-CoV-2 a single stranded RNA virus which triggered the global pandemic Coronavirus Disease- 2019 (COVID-2019). It has infected about 2,844,712 patients and brought forth mortality rate to about 201,315 among 216 countries as cited by WHO. Drugs including Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine derivatives are being administered in most urgent cases; although, with probable side effects to people with metabolic disorders. Thus, unavailability of authorized drugs and treatment for this pandemic demands the research world to discover natural compounds with potency to cure it. This paper assesses the isoflavonoid puerarin from Pueraria lobata as a possible inhibitor of the main protease of SARS-COV-2 (Mpro) via in silico approach, for example molecular docking, Lipinski’s rule of five and toxicity prediction (ADME). Puerarin revealed high binding affinity with the target site of SARS-CoV-2 main protease. This compound slightly meets the criteria of Lipinski’s rule and does not possess properties that could cause adverse effects in humans thus, making puerarin a potential drug candidate to investigate for its usage against COVID-19.