virtual screening and molecular docking of fda approved antiviral drugs for the identification of potential inhibitors of sars-cov-2 rna-mtase protein

Background: sars-cov-2 is a novel coronavirus discovered in december 2019 and is responsible for pandemic disease covid-19. in the absence of any available vaccines or drugs to combat the virus, it has caused enormous damage. methods: an insilico docking approach was applied to determine potential inhibitors of sars-cov-2 rnamtase by screening against a ligand library of fda approved antiviral compounds. results: ten compounds including daclatasvir, pibrentasvir, tenofovir, velpatasvir, grazoprevir, ledipasvir, elbasvir, delavirdine, nilutamide, and ribavirin triphosphate showed a strong binding affinity with rnamtase of which daclatasvir and pibrentasvir exhibited the highest affinity.  moreover, daclatasvir, grazoprevir, and tenofovir, which have recently been reported to have a binding affinity with other sars-cov-2 proteins, showed good binding interactions with rnamtase, suggesting a role to act as dual inhibitors. conclusion: the suggested antiviral compounds can tightly bind to rnamtase of sars-cov-2 and thus have the potential to be used against this deadly virus. importantly, as fda already approved, these drugs do not need to undergo toxicity evaluation.