In-silico Studies of Antimalarial-agent Artemisinin and Derivatives Portray More Potent Binding to Lys353 and Lys31-Binding Hotspots of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein than Hydroxychloroquine: Potential Repurposing of Artenimol for COVID-19.

The role of hydroxychloroquine to prevent hACE2 from interacting with SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein is unveiled. Artemisinin & derived compounds entangle better than hydroxychloroquine into Lys353 and Lys31 binding hotspots of the virus Spike protein, therefore preventing infection occurs. Since these molecules are effective antivirals with excellent safety track records, their potential repurposing is recommended for clinical trials of COVID-19 patients.