Abstract:
Developing antiviral drugs against the current crisis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is of high priority among scientific communities. The main viral protease enzyme (Mpro) is a key target of COVID-19 drugs, as the inhibition of which could halt disease progression. In search for potential inhibitors, phytochemicals from Sri Lankan traditional medicinal plants are an invaluable source of drug leads. Therefore, this study utilized molecular docking based virtual screening to evaluate the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro by phytochemicals in five medicinal plants that formulate the traditional herbal preparation of ‘paspanguwa’.
