Subject(s)
Family Health , Food Hypersensitivity/psychology , Mental Health , Parents/psychology , Allergens/administration & dosage , Allergens/therapeutic use , Anxiety , Bullying/psychology , Child , Depression , Epinephrine/administration & dosage , Epinephrine/therapeutic use , Female , Focus Groups , Food Hypersensitivity/prevention & control , Food Hypersensitivity/therapy , Humans , Infant , Peer Group , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The latest coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, discovered in China and rapidly spread Worldwide. COVID-19 affected millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands worldwide. There are many ongoing studies investigating drug(s) suitable for preventing and/or treating this pandemic; however, there are no specific drugs or vaccines available to treat or prevent SARS-CoV-2 as of today. METHODS: Fifty-eight fragrance materials, which are classified as allergen fragrance molecules, were selected and used in this study. Docking simulations were carried out using four functional proteins; the Covid19 Main Protase (MPro), Receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike protein, Nucleocapsid, and host Bromodomain protein (BRD2), as target macromolecules. Three different software, AutoDock, AutoDock Vina (Vina), and Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD), running a total of four different docking protocol with optimized energy functions were used. Results were compared with the five molecules reported in the literature as potential drugs against COVID-19. Virtual screening was carried out using Vina, molecules satisfying our cut-off (- 6.5 kcal/mol) binding affinity was confirmed by MVD. Selected molecules were analyzed using the flexible docking protocol of Vina and AutoDock default settings. RESULTS: Ten out of 58 allergen fragrance molecules were selected for further docking studies. MPro and BRD2 are potential targets for the tested allergen fragrance molecules, while RBD and Nucleocapsid showed weak binding energies. According to AutoDock results, three molecules, Benzyl Cinnamate, Dihydroambrettolide, and Galaxolide, had good binding affinities to BRD2. While Dihydroambrettolide and Galaxolide showed the potential to bind to MPro, Sclareol and Vertofix had the best calculated binding affinities to this target. When the flexible docking results analyzed, all the molecules tested had better calculated binding affinities as expected. Benzyl Benzoate and Benzyl Salicylate showed good binding affinities to BRD2. In the case of MPro, Sclareol had the lowest binding affinity among all the tested allergen fragrance molecules. CONCLUSION: Allergen fragrance molecules are readily available, cost-efficient, and shown to be safe for human use. Results showed that several of these molecules had comparable binding affinities as the potential drug molecules reported in the literature to target proteins. Thus, these allergen molecules at correct doses could have significant health benefits.
Subject(s)
Allergens/chemistry , Allergens/immunology , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , COVID-19/immunology , Odorants , Perfume/chemistry , SARS-CoV-2/chemistry , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Adenosine Monophosphate/analogs & derivatives , Adenosine Monophosphate/chemistry , Adenosine Monophosphate/metabolism , Alanine/analogs & derivatives , Alanine/chemistry , Alanine/metabolism , Allergens/administration & dosage , Allergens/therapeutic use , Benzopyrans/chemistry , Benzopyrans/metabolism , Benzyl Compounds/chemistry , Benzyl Compounds/metabolism , Cinnamates/chemistry , Cinnamates/metabolism , Coronavirus 3C Proteases/chemistry , Coronavirus 3C Proteases/metabolism , Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/chemistry , Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/metabolism , Diterpenes/chemistry , Diterpenes/metabolism , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Humans , Ligands , Molecular Docking Simulation , Perfume/administration & dosage , Perfume/therapeutic use , Phosphoproteins/chemistry , Phosphoproteins/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism , Transcription Factors/chemistry , Transcription Factors/metabolismABSTRACT
Although the development of successful vaccines against coronaviruses may be achieved, for some individuals the immune response that they stimulate may prove to be insufficient for effective host defence. The principle that a relatively strong contact allergen will have an enhancing effect on sensitization compared with a less potent contact allergen if they are co-administered, may not, at first, appear relevant to this issue. However, this augmentation effect is thought to be due to the sharing of common or complementary pathways. Here, we briefly consider aspects of the shared and complementary pathways between skin sensitization induced by exposure to a contact allergen and the immune response to viruses, with particular reference to COVID-19. The relationship leads us to explore whether this principle, which we name here as "co-operative immune augmentation" may be extended to include viral vaccination. We consider evidence that even relatively weak contact allergens, used in vaccines for other purposes, can show enhanced sensitization, which is in keeping with a co-operative augmentation principle. Finally, we consider how the potent contact allergen diphenylcyclopropenone could be employed safely as an enhancer of vaccine responses.