Potential Anti-Coronavirus Agents and the Pharmacologic Mechanisms

Yang Yang; Xiao Cui; Huaying Wei; Caiping Guo; Yulin Zhang

doi:10.2147/DDDT.S293216

Potential Anti-Coronavirus Agents and the Pharmacologic Mechanisms

Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021 Mar 17:15:1213-1223. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S293216. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Yang Yang^#¹, Xiao Cui^#¹, Huaying Wei¹, Caiping Guo¹, Yulin Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases, Beijing You an Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China.
² Department of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases, Beijing You an Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus clade 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging pathogen, which is similar to previous SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) occurrences. However, we only get few understandings about the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, which need to further be studied. The discovery of an agent that has a treatment efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 is very urgent. In this review, we briefly discuss the virology of this pathogen and focus on the available understanding of the pathogenesis and treatments of this pathogen including the uses of nucleoside analogues, protease inhibitors, interferons, and other small-molecule drugs, on the basis previous comprehensions of SARS and MERS. These reviewed concepts may be beneficial in providing new insights and potential treatments for COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; MERS; SARS; pathogenesis; treatment; virology.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / physiology
Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
COVID-19 / pathology
COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
Coronavirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / antagonists & inhibitors
Humans
SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects*
SARS-CoV-2 / pathogenicity

Substances

Antiviral Agents
Coronavirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2

Grants and funding

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81873761, 81571178, 81371399) and the 13th Key Science and Technology Five Year Plan of China (2018ZX10302104, 2018ZX10715-005-002-002).