In this paper, a series of peptidomimetic SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitors with new P 2 and P 4 positions were synthesized and evaluated. Among these compounds, 1a and 2b exhibited obvious 3CL^{pro} inhibitory activities with IC 50} of 18.06 nM and 22.42 nM, respectively. 1a and 2b also showed excellent antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro with EC 50} of 313.0 nM and 170.2 nM, respectively, the antiviral activities of 1a and 2b were 2- and 4-fold better than that of nirmatrelvir, respectively. In vitro studies revealed that these two compounds had no significant cytotoxicity. Further metabolic stability tests and pharmacokinetic studies showed that the metabolic stability of 1a and 2b in liver microsomes was significantly improved, and 2b had similar pharmacokinetic parameters to that of nirmatrelvir in mice.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, 3CL Protease, Nirmatrelvir, Peptidomimetic inhibitors,