TY - JOUR
T1 - CuFe2O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles as Heterogeneous Catalysts for Synthesis of Dihydropyrimidinones as Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Surface Proteins—Insights from Molecular Docking Studies
AU - Carabineiro, Sónia A. C.
AU - Dharma Rao, Gullapalli B.
AU - Singh, Lakhwinder
AU - Anjaneyulu, Bendi
AU - Afshari, Mozhgan
N1 - Funding Information:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F50006%2F2020/PT#
Anjaneyulu Bendi and Lakhwinder Singh express special gratitude to the management of SGT University, Gurugram, and G.B. Dharma Rao conveys his sincere thanks to the management of KPRIT, Hyderabad, for providing the facilities to conduct the research and submit this article for publication. All the authors are grateful to JNU, New Delhi, for XRD, FT-IR, and VSM characterizations and IARI, New Delhi, for TEM characterization. The authors also wish to acknowledge the support of this work by the Research Council of Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar, Iran. S.A.C.C. is grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal for Scientific Employment Stimulus-Institutional Call (CEEC-INST/00102/2018) and to the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDP/5006/2020).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/7/31
Y1 - 2023/7/31
N2 - In this study, we present the highly efficient and rapid synthesis of substituted dihydropyrimidinone derivatives through an ultrasound-accelerated approach. We utilize copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) magnetic nanoparticles as heterogeneous catalysts, employing the well-known Biginelli reaction, under solvent-free conditions. The impact of the solvent, catalyst amount, and catalyst type on the reaction performance is thoroughly investigated. Our method offers several notable advantages, including facile catalyst separation, catalyst reusability for up to three cycles with the minimal loss of activity, a straightforward procedure, mild reaction conditions, and impressive yields, ranging from 79% to 95%, within short reaction times of 20 to 40 min. Furthermore, in the context of fighting COVID-19, we explore the potential of substituted dihydropyrimidinone derivatives as inhibitors of three crucial SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These proteins, glycoproteins, and proteases play pivotal roles in the entry, replication, and spread of the virus. Peptides and antiviral drugs targeting these proteins hold great promise in the development of effective treatments. Through theoretical molecular docking studies, we compare the binding properties of the synthesized dihydropyrimidinone derivatives with the widely used hydroxychloroquine molecule as a reference. Our findings reveal that some of the tested molecules exhibit superior binding characteristics compared to hydroxychloroquine, while others demonstrate comparable results. These results highlight the potential of our synthesized derivatives as effective inhibitors in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.
AB - In this study, we present the highly efficient and rapid synthesis of substituted dihydropyrimidinone derivatives through an ultrasound-accelerated approach. We utilize copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) magnetic nanoparticles as heterogeneous catalysts, employing the well-known Biginelli reaction, under solvent-free conditions. The impact of the solvent, catalyst amount, and catalyst type on the reaction performance is thoroughly investigated. Our method offers several notable advantages, including facile catalyst separation, catalyst reusability for up to three cycles with the minimal loss of activity, a straightforward procedure, mild reaction conditions, and impressive yields, ranging from 79% to 95%, within short reaction times of 20 to 40 min. Furthermore, in the context of fighting COVID-19, we explore the potential of substituted dihydropyrimidinone derivatives as inhibitors of three crucial SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These proteins, glycoproteins, and proteases play pivotal roles in the entry, replication, and spread of the virus. Peptides and antiviral drugs targeting these proteins hold great promise in the development of effective treatments. Through theoretical molecular docking studies, we compare the binding properties of the synthesized dihydropyrimidinone derivatives with the widely used hydroxychloroquine molecule as a reference. Our findings reveal that some of the tested molecules exhibit superior binding characteristics compared to hydroxychloroquine, while others demonstrate comparable results. These results highlight the potential of our synthesized derivatives as effective inhibitors in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.
KW - Biginelli reaction
KW - copper ferrite
KW - COVID-19
KW - dihydropyrimidinones
KW - heterocycles
KW - heterogeneous catalyst
KW - hydroxychloroquine
KW - molecular docking
KW - multicomponent reaction
KW - nanoparticles
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85168923462&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/pr11082294
DO - 10.3390/pr11082294
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85168923462
SN - 2227-9717
VL - 11
JO - Processes
JF - Processes
IS - 8
M1 - 2294
ER -