Zinc and SARS-CoV-2: A molecular modeling study of Zn interactions with RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase and 3C-like proteinase enzymes

RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) and 3C-like proteinase (3CL(pro)) are two main enzymes that play a key role in the replication of SARS-CoV-2. Zinc (Zn) has strong immunogenic properties and is known to bind to a number of proteins, modulating their activities. Zn also has a history of use in viral infection control. Thus, the present study models potential Zn binding to RdRp and the 3CL(pro). Through molecular modeling, the Zn binding sites in the aforementioned two important enzymes of viral replication were found to be conserved between severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus (CoV) and SARS-CoV-2. The location of these sites may influence the enzymatic activity of 3CL(pro) and RdRp in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since Zn has established immune health benefits, is readily available, non-expensive and a safe food supplement, with the comparisons presented here between SARS-CoV and COVID-19, the present study proposes that Zn could help ameliorate the disease process of COVID-19 infection.