Modern Paradigm Towards Potential Target Identification for Antiviral (SARS-nCoV-2) and Anticancer Lipopeptides: A Pharmacophore-Based Approach

 Lipopeptides are potential microbial metabolites that are abandoned with broad spectrum biopharmaceutical properties ranging from antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer, etc. Clinical studies are not much explored beyond the experimental methods to understand drug mechanisms on target proteins at the molecular level for large molecules. Due to the less available studies on potential target proteins of lipopeptide based drugs, their potential inhibitory role for more obvious treatment on disease have not been explored in the direction of lead optimization. However, Computational approaches need to be utilized to explore drug discovery aspects on lipopeptide based drugs, which are time saving and cost-effective techniques.

 Here a ligand-based drug discovery approach is coupled with reverse pharmacophore-mapping for the prediction of potential targets for antiviral (SARS-nCoV-2) and anticancer lipopeptides. Web-based servers PharmMapper and SwissTargetPrediction are used for the identification of target proteins for lipopeptides surfactin and iturin produced by Bacillus subtilis.

 The studies have given the insight to treat the diseases with next-generation large molecule therapeutics. Results also indicate the affinity for Angiotensin-Converting Enzymes (ACE) and proteases as the potential viral targets for these categories of peptide therapeutics. A target protein for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) has also been mapped.

 The work will further help in exploring computer-aided drug designing of novel compounds with greater efficiency where the structure of the target proteins and lead compounds are known.