Plant flavonoid inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 main protease and viral replication

Plant-based flavonoids have been evaluated as inhibitors of β-coronavirus replication and as therapies for COVID-19 on the basis of their safety profile and widespread availability. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) has been implicated as a target for flavonoids in silico. Yet no comprehensive in vitro testing of flavonoid activity against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro has heretofore been performed. We screened 1,019 diverse flavonoids for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Multiple structure-activity relationships were identified among active compounds such as enrichment of galloylated flavonoids and biflavones, including multiple biflavone analogs of apigenin. In a cell-based SARS-CoV-2 replication assay, the most potent inhibitors were apigenin and the galloylated pinocembrin analog, pinocembrin 7-O-(3''-galloyl-4'',6''-(S)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl)-beta-D-glucose (PGHG). Molecular dynamic simulations predicted that PGHG occludes the S1 binding site via a galloyl group and induces a conformational change in Mpro. These studies will advance the development of plant-based flavonoids—including widely available natural products—to target β-coronaviruses.