Lichen as potential armamentarium against the SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19)

ABSTRACT

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), has been responsible for a respiratory tract disease which has taken the proportion of the pandemic (COVID-19) ravaging the planet for last 2 and half year. The COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for about sixty-one million deaths and about 500 million infections worldwide. The medication of infected individuals has been mainly cantered around repurposing of available known antiviral drugs, immunosuppressor/ immunomodulator drugs, monoclonal antibody concoctions and various vaccines as prophylaxis measures. Use phytometabolites in studies have been found to very effective in counter the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding sites, the main step to virus attack on the respiratory epithelial cells. Lichen secondary metabolites are well known for their antimicrobial, immunomodulator and antiviral activities. Current study was done to assess the spike protein binding capabilities of some lichen secondary metabolites of SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan strain) spike protein binding sites using in-silico docking modelling. The study found that some of the lichen metabolites such as Cryptostictic acid and Quaesitic acid were effective in blocking the target cell recognising regions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and can be effectively developed as therapeutic medicine.