Unveiling the Molecular Dialogue between Monkeypox E8 Protein and
Punicalagin: Pioneering the New Era of Natural Drugs
Abstract
Monkeypox has recently surfaced as a public health issue, and the virus
has spread rapidly worldwide in the post-COVID-19 period. These emerging
infections hinder human health and the advancement of the global
economy. There are currently no authorized medications to treat this
condition. As a result, this study gap motivates us to seek a viable
inhibitor from a natural source. In the present study, 10 plant-derived
compounds and commercialized drugs respectively were subjected to
molecular docking and 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations to identify
the potent inhibitor against MPXV E8 ectodomain protein. Punicalagin
showed a greater affinity for the target protein (-9.1 kcal/mol), and
maraviroc, among commercial drugs, had a binding affinity of -7.4
kcal/mol which was lower than punicalagin. MD simulations substantiated
this study and showed better stability of punicalagin with the target
envelope protein, compared to the control drug maraviroc. This finding
was validated by decreased RMSD, RMSF, Rg, and SASA values with
increased H-bonding. Therefore, we could speculate that the
plant-derived natural compound, punicalagin can act as a potent
therapeutic against the MPXV.