Frimayanti et al.
Introduction
immunomodulatory effects
[3]. It has
against various
pathogens in
demonstrated
bacterial and
efficacy
fungal
Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is an
infectious disease caused by a virus that is
transmitted by a vector. Dengue infection is
caused by the dengue virus. This virus
belongs to the arbovirus group (arthropod-
borne virus) within the genus Flavivirus and
family Flaviviridae. The dengue virus has four
serotypes: dengue virus 1, 2, 3, and 4 (DENV-
1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4). The most
common serotype of dengue virus that
causes infection in the human body is DENV-
2. Replication of DENV-2 requires a complex
experimental models, making it a promising
lead for the development of anti-infective
drugs [3]. Phenolic compounds, including
those
found
in
cinnamon,
have
demonstrated antiviral activity against the
dengue virus (DENV) through multiple
mechanisms
targeting
viral
particles,
proteins, and host pathways [4]. Natural
compounds and their analogs, such as
alkaloids, phenols, and terpenoids, have
shown potential in inhibiting DENV entry and
of
non-structural
proteins,
specifically
replication
[5].
Cinnamon
and
its
protein non-structural 3 (NS3) and its
cofactor (NS2B), known as NS2B/NS3 serine
protease. NS3 is responsible for proteolytic
processes of viral proteins, whereas NS2B
acts as a cofactor for the replication of DENV-
2. It is likely that this protease could be a
potential target for dengue drugs by
blocking the interaction between the NS3
protease and its cofactor protein NS2B [1].
constituents, particularly cinnamaldehyde,
exert antibacterial effects by damaging cell
membranes, inhibiting ATPases, cell division,
and biofilm formation, and disrupting
quorum sensing [6]. These findings support
the
exploration
of
cinnamon-derived
compounds as potential therapeutic agents
for various microbial infections. Thus, in this
research three of these compounds (i.e
cinnamaldehyde, α-terpineol, and chavicol)
are investigated as potential ligands in
molecular docking studies to assess their
inhibitory activity against the Dengue virus
serotype 2 (DEN2) NS2B/NS3 protease.
Dengue fever remains a global health
concern, with an alarming increase in the
number of dengue cases reported each year.
The DEN2 NS2B/NS3 protease is a pivotal
target in the development of antiviral agents,
making it a promising target for drug
discovery [2]. Currently, no specific antiviral
drug has been approved for this disease. In
this study, compounds were obtained from
a database, that is NADI database which is a
Recent studies have explored the potential
of phytochemicals as inhibitors of dengue
virus (DENV) NS2B/NS3 protease, a crucial
target for antiviral drug development. In
silico
approaches,
including
molecular
natural
database contained of 77 compounds found
in Cinnamomum zeylanicum, commonly
product
collection.
The
NADI
docking, ADMET analysis, and molecular
dynamics simulations, have been employed
to screen and evaluate natural compounds
known as cinnamon. Among these 77
compounds, three were selected for the
molecular docking studies: cinnamaldehyde,
α-terpineol, and chavicol.
against
this
enzyme
[7-9].
These
investigations identified several promising
phytochemicals with high binding affinities
and favorable pharmacokinetic profiles.
Notable compounds include erycristagallin,
osajin, papraineA, and aloe-emodin [7], as
Cinnamaldehyde, the primary compound in
cinnamon essential oils, exhibits diverse
well
as
3′,4′-methylenedioxy-7,8-(2″,2″-
pharmacological
antimicrobial,
activities,
antioxidant,
including
and
dimethylpyrano)-flavone and limonianin [8].
Additionally, compounds CID-440015 and
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