  SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), a positive single stranded RNA virus, member of corona
virus family, is spreading its tentacles across the world due to lack of drugs
at present. Being associated with cough, fever, and respiratory distress, this
disease caused more than 15 % mortality worldwide. Due to its vital role in
virus replication, Mpro/3CLpro has recently been regarded as a suitable target
for drug design. The current study focused on the inhibitory activity of
Calotropin, a component from milk of Calotropis gigantean, against Mpro protein
from SARS-CoV-2. Till date there is no work is undertaken on in-silico analysis
of this compound against Mpro of COVID-19 protein. In the present study,
molecular docking studies were conducted by using Patchdock tool. Protein
Interactions tool was used for protein interactions. The calculated parameters
such as docking score indicated effective binding of Calotropin to Mpro
protein. Interactions results indicated that, Mpro/ Calotropin complexes forms
hydrophobic interactions. Therefore, Calotropin may represent potential herbal
treatment to act as COVID-19 Mpro inhibitor. However, further research is
necessary to investigate their potential medicinal use.
