Metal Complexes and Their Potential Therapeutic Role Against COVID-19: Recent Developments in Drug Designing

Kanwal Ashiq,Bushra Naureen,Sana Ashiq

doi:10.18502/sjms.v16i4.9951

Abstract

COVID-19 is a global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Being associated with high mortality rates, this pandemic has forced several countries worldwide to impose complete lockdowns to limit the spread of infection. Despite the development of various vaccines, there is still an urgent need to design novel treatments backed with safety data for fighting SARS-CoV-2 and its various mutants. Currently, scientists are putting their strenuous efforts into finding the best treatment option for COVID-19. In this regard, metal complexes being active antiviral agents and immunity enhancers have great potential against SARS-CoV-2. Herein, metal complexes' therapeutic role and significance against treating SARS-CoV-2 or any of its target proteins are discussed.

Highlights

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this health emergency a pandemic and issued various safety measures to prevent the spread of infection
In the latest research, various transition metals, including Co(II), Cd(II), Mn(II), Cr(III), Ni(II), Hg(II), Zn(II), and Cr(III) were tested with gibberellic acid (HGA) which is a plant hormone to produce complexes. These novel complexes were screened by computational methods to evaluate their possible interaction with the COVID-19 active site called 6LU7
The authors provided evidence regarding Zn++interactions at molecular levels via quantum mechanics molecular simulations. They propose first- and second-generation macrolides such as azithromycin (Zn++-antibiotic complex) as a potential candidate for COVID-19 treatment [18]

Summary

Introduction

In December 2019, a novel virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as a causative agent of COVID-19. The swift spread of this virus resulted in loads of mortality and morbidity across the globe [1]. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this health emergency a pandemic and issued various safety measures to prevent the spread of infection. How to cite this article: Kanwal Ashiq, Bushra Naureen, and Sana Ashiq (2021) “Metal Complexes and Their Potential Therapeutic Role. Against COVID-19: Recent Developments in Drug Designing,” Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences, vol 16, Issue no.

Overview

Conclusion