Smoking May Increase the Risk of COVID-19 Infection: Evidence from In Silico Analysis

Introduction: SARS-CoV2, first reported in December 2019 Wuhan as COVID-19 causing respiratory illness, rapidly evolved into a pandemic owing to its very high infectivity. There is insufficient evidence about if and how smoking affects the risk of infection, reports on whether increases or reduces infections, are contradictory. Therefore, current study was designed determine effects nicotine consumption infectivity COVID-19.
 Methods: We performed silico computer simulation-based study. The structures SARS-CoV2spike ectodomain, receptor ACE2, were obtained from PDB. structure metabolites NNK NNAL PubChem chemical database. After optimization, they interacted using AutoDock 4.2, see effect nicotine, NNK, presence docking viral spike protein ACE2.
 Results: ACE2 vs interaction results used control (ZDOCK score 1498.484, with four hydrogen bonds). NNK+ACE2 formed 10 bonds highest ZDOCK 1515.564. NNAL+ eleven 1499.371. Nicotine+ACE2 showed lowest 1496.302 8 bonds. Whereas, NNK+spike had 1498.490 eight NNAL+spike 1498.482. And Nicotine+spike 1498.488 9 bonds.
 Conclusions: binding either virus not affecting receptor. But metabolite facilitating indicating that may increase infection.