Geranylated flavonoids displaying SARS-CoV papain-like protease inhibition from the fruits of Paulownia tomentosa

SARS-CoV papain-like protease (PLpro) is an important antiviral target due to its key roles in SARS virus replication. The MeOH extracts of the fruits of the Paulownia tree yielded many small molecules capable of targeting PLpro. Five of these compounds were new geranylated flavonoids, tomentin A, tomentin B, tomentin C, tomentin D, tomentin E (1–5). Structure analysis of new compounds (1–5) by NMR showed that they all contain a 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran moiety. This chemotype is very rare and is derived from cyclization of a geranyl group with a phenol functionality. Most compounds (1–12) inhibited PLpro in a dose dependent manner with IC₅₀’s raging between 5.0 and 14.4 μM. All new compounds having the dihydro-2H-pyran group showed better inhibition than their parent compounds (1 vs 11, 2 vs 9, 4 vs 12, 5 vs 6). In kinetic studies, 1–12 emerged to be reversible, mixed inhibitors.