Structural insights into inhibition of PRRSV Nsp4 revealed by structure-based virtual screening, molecular dynamics, and MM-PBSA studies.

Background: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome respiratory sickness in weaned and growing pigs, as well as sow reproductive failure, and its infection is regarded as one of the most serious swine illnesses worldwide. Given the current lack of an effective treatment, in this study, we identified natural compounds capable of inhibiting non-structural protein 4 (Nsp4) of the virus, which is involved in their replication and pathogenesis.

Results: We screened natural compounds (n = 97,999) obtained from the ZINC database against Nsp4 and selected the top 10 compounds for analysing protein-ligand interactions and physicochemical properties. The five compounds demonstrating strong binding affinity were then subjected to molecular dynamics simulations (100 ns) and binding free energy calculations. Based on analysis, we identified four possible lead compounds that represent potentially effective drug-like inhibitors.

Conclusions: These methods identified that these natural compounds are capable of inhibiting Nsp4 and possibly effective as antiviral therapeutics against PRRSV.