A perspective on the applications of furin inhibitors for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2

Kasi Pandima Devi; Mahmoud Reza Pourkarim; Marijn Thijssen; Antoni Sureda; Maryam Khayatkashani; Cosmin Andrei Cismaru; Ioana Berindan Neagoe; Solomon Habtemariam; Soha Razmjouei; Hamid Reza Khayat Kashani

doi:10.1007/s43440-021-00344-x

A perspective on the applications of furin inhibitors for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2

Pharmacol Rep. 2022 Apr;74(2):425-430. doi: 10.1007/s43440-021-00344-x. Epub 2022 Jan 15.

Authors

Kasi Pandima Devi¹, Mahmoud Reza Pourkarim^{2

3}, Marijn Thijssen⁴, Antoni Sureda^{5

6}, Maryam Khayatkashani⁷, Cosmin Andrei Cismaru^{8

9}, Ioana Berindan Neagoe^{8

10

11}, Solomon Habtemariam¹², Soha Razmjouei¹³, Hamid Reza Khayat Kashani¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotechnology, Alagappa University (Science Campus), Karaikudi, 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India. pdevik@alagappauniversity.ac.in.
² Division of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. mahmoudreza.pourkarim@kuleuven.be.
³ Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. mahmoudreza.pourkarim@kuleuven.be.
⁴ Division of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
⁵ Research Group in Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress, University of the Balearic Islands-IUNICS, Health Research Institute of Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
⁶ CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
⁷ Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
⁸ Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
⁹ Department of Functional Sciences, Immunology and Allergology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
¹⁰ The Center for Advanced Medicine, Medfuture-"Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
¹¹ The Department for Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta", Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
¹² Pharmacognosy Research Laboratories and Herbal Analysis Services UK, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham-Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK.
¹³ Department of Internal Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Semnan, Iran.
¹⁴ Department of Neurosurgery, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 1617763141, Tehran, Iran. khayatkashani@sbmu.ac.ir.

Abstract

Currently, the world is facing a pandemic of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. Identifying key targets in the viral infection lifecycle is urgently needed for designing therapeutic strategies to combat the virus. Furin is a subtilisin-like proprotein convertase with diverse cellular functions. Emerging evidence suggests that furin plays a critical role in the activation and/or infectivity of SARS-CoV-2. In this perspective, we discuss the potential role of furin in the entry SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. Furthermore, we evaluate available peptide and non-peptide furin inhibitors and potential outcomes, including immune responses.

Keywords: Furin inhibitor; Immune responses; Non-peptide; Peptide; SARS-CoV-2; Spike protein.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
Furin*
Humans
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

Substances

Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
spike protein, SARS-CoV-2
Furin