Exploring the Binding Interaction of Active Compound of Pineapple against Foodborne Bacteria and Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Based on Molecular Docking and Simulation Studies.

Natural resources, particularly plants and microbes, are an excellent source of bioactive molecules. Bromelain, a complex enzyme mixture found in pineapples, has numerous pharmacological applications. In a search for therapeutic molecules, we conducted an in silico study on natural phyto-constituent bromelain, targeting pathogenic bacteria and viral proteases. Docking studies revealed that bromelain strongly bound to food-borne bacterial pathogens and SARS-CoV-2 virus targets, with a high binding energy of -9.37 kcal/mol. The binding interaction was mediated by the involvement of hydrogen bonds, and some hydrophobic interactions stabilized the complex and molecular dynamics. Simulation studies also indicated the stable binding between bromelain and SARS-CoV-2 protease as well as with bacterial targets which are essential for DNA and protein synthesis and are required to maintain the integrity of membranous proteins. From this in silico study, it is also concluded that bromelain could be an effective molecule to control foodborne pathogen toxicity and COVID-19. So, eating pineapple during an infection could help to interfere with the pathogen attaching and help prevent the virus from getting into the host cell. Further, research on the bromelain molecule could be helpful for the management of COVID-19 disease as well as other bacterial-mediated diseases. Thus, the antibacterial and anti-SARS-CoV-2 virus inhibitory potentials of bromelain could be helpful in the management of viral infections and subsequent bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients.

Beneficial Properties of Bromelain.

Bromelain is a major sulfhydryl proteolytic enzyme found in pineapple plants, having multiple activities in many areas of medicine. Due to its low toxicity, high efficiency, high availability, and relative simplicity of acquisition, it is the object of inexhaustible interest of scientists. This review summarizes scientific reports concerning the possible application of bromelain in treating cardiovascular diseases, blood coagulation and fibrinolysis disorders, infectious diseases, inflammation-associated diseases, and many types of cancer. However, for the proper application of such multi-action activities of bromelain, further exploration of the mechanism of its action is needed. It is supposed that the anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and anti-coagulatory activity of bromelain may become a complementary therapy for COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 patients. During the irrepressible spread of novel variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such beneficial properties of this biomolecule might help prevent escalation and the progression of the COVID-19 disease.

Bromelain: A Review on its Potential as a Therapy for the Management of Covid-19.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 is a wide-spreading severe viral disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) virus that needs to be urgently eradicated. SARS-COV-2 has infected millions of people worldwide and results in more than three hundred thousand deaths. Several repurposed drugs have failed to successfully eradicate the infection. Multiorgan failure caused by pronounced inflammation and systemic coagulation accounts for severe complications and death associated with diseases. Bromelain appears to be a potential candidate that may be used to inhibit or prevent the symptoms of the diseases. Its anti-inflammatory and anticoagulatory properties make it a potential agent that may slow the progression of the disease. In this review, we highlighted the beneficial effects of bromelain based on both experimental and clinical evidence that make bromelain a good candidate for the treatment of symptoms of CoVID-19 infection.