Sulforaphane is a reversible covalent inhibitor of 3‐chymotrypsin‐like protease of SARS‐CoV‐2

Abstract

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a major public health threat worldwide and emphasizes an urgent need for effective therapeutics. Recently, Ordonez et al. identified sulforaphane (SFN) as a novel coronavirus inhibitor both in vitro and in mice, but the mechanism of action remains elusive. In this study, we independently discovered SFN for its inhibitory effect against SARS-CoV-2 using a target-based screening approach, identifying the viral 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL^pro ) as a target of SFN. Mechanistically, SFN inhibits 3CL^pro in a reversible, mixed-type manner. Moreover, enzymatic kinetics studies reveal that SFN is a slow-binding inhibitor, following a two-step interaction. Initially, an encounter complex forms by specific binding of SFN to the active pocket of 3CL^pro ; subsequently, the isothiocyanate group of SFN as "warhead" reacts covalently to the catalytic cysteine in a slower velocity, stabilizing the SFN-3CL^pro complex. Our study has identified a new lead of the covalent 3CL^pro inhibitors which has potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.