Computational Exploration of Berberis lycium Royle: A Hidden Treasure Trove for Antiviral Development

Abstract

Viral infections and associated illnesses account for approximately 3.5 million global fatalities and public health problems. Medicinal plants, with their wide therapeutic range and minimal side effects, have gained limelight particularly in response to growing concerns about drug resistance and sluggish development of antiviral drugs. This study computationally assessed 11 chemical compounds from Berberis lycium along with two antiviral drugs to inhibit SARS CoV 2 (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), influenza virus RdRP, and two crucial dengue virus (DENV) enzymes (NS2B/NS3 protease and NS5 polymerase). Berberine and oxyberberine passed all pharmacokinetics analysis filters including Lipinski rule, blood-brain barrier permeant, and cytochrome suppression and demonstrated drug-likeness, bioavailability, and a non-toxic profile. Docking of phytochemicals from B lycium returned promising results with selected viral proteins, ie, DENV NS2BNS3 (punjabine –10.9 kcal/mol), DENV NS5 (punjabine –10.4 kcal/mol), COVID-19 RdRP (oxyacanthine –9.5 kcal/mol), and influenza RdRP (punjabine –10.4 kcal/mol). The optimal pharmacokinetics of berberine exhibited good binding energies with NS2BNS3 (–8.0 kcal/mol), NS5 (–8.3 kcal/mol), COVID RdRP (–7.7 kcal/mol), and influenza RdRP (–8.3 kcal/mol), while molecular dynamics simulation of a 50-ns time scale by GROMACS software package provided insights into the flexibility and stability of the complexes. A hidden treasure trove for antiviral research, berberine, berbamine, berbamunine, oxyberberine, oxyacanthine, baluchistanamine, and sindamine has showed encouraging findings as possible lead compounds. Pharmacological analyses provide credence for the proposed study; nevertheless, as the antiviral mechanisms of action of these phytochemicals are not well understood, additional research and clinical trials are required to demonstrate both their efficacy and toxicity through in vitro and in vivo studies.