Predictive Assessment of the Antiviral Properties of Imperata cylindrica against SARS-CoV-2

The omicron variant and its sublineages are highly contagious, and they still constitute a global source of concern despite vaccinations. Hospitalizations and mortality rates resulting from infections by these variants of concern are still common. The existing therapeutic alternatives have presented various setbacks such as low potency, poor pharmacokinetic profiles, and drug resistance. The need for alternative therapeutic options cannot be overemphasized. Plants and their phytochemicals present interesting characteristics that make them suitable candidates for the development of antiviral therapeutic agents. This study aimed to investigate the antiviral potential of ( ). Specifically, the objective of this study was to identify phytochemicals that display inhibitory effects against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M ), a highly conserved protein among coronaviruses. Molecular docking and pharmacokinetic assays were used to assess 72 phytocompounds that are found in as ligands and M (6LU7) as the target. Only eight phytochemicals (bifendate, cylindrene, tabanone, siderin, 5-hydroxy-2-[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one, maritimin, 5-methoxyflavone, and flavone) displayed high binding affinities with M with docking scores ranging from -5.6 kcal/mol to -9.1 kcal/mol. The pharmacokinetic and toxicological assays revealed that tabanone was the best and safest phytochemical for the development of an inhibitory agent against coronavirus main protease. Thus, the study served as a baseline for further and assessment of this phytochemical against M of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern to validate these findings.