Identification of sulphonamide-tethered <i>N</i> -((triazol-4-yl)methyl)isatin derivatives as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the end of 2019 led to profound consequences on global health and economy. Till producing successful vaccination strategies, the healthcare sectors suffered from the lack of effective therapeutic agents that could control the spread of infection. Thus, academia and the pharmaceutical sector prioritise SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug discovery. Here, we exploited previous reports highlighting the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities of isatin-based molecules to develop novel triazolo-isatins for inhibiting main protease (Mpro) of the virus, a crucial enzyme for its replication in the host cells. Particularly, sulphonamide <b>6b</b> showed promising inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀= 0.249 µM. Additionally, <b>6b</b> inhibited viral cell proliferation with an IC₅₀ of 4.33 µg/ml, and was non-toxic to VERO-E6 cells (CC50 = 564.74 µg/ml) displaying a selectivity index of 130.4. <i>In silico</i> analysis of <b>6b</b> disclosed its ability to interact with key residues in the enzyme active site, supporting the obtained <i>in vitro</i> findings.