Druggable targets from coronaviruses for designing new antiviral drugs

Leandro Rocha Silva; Paulo Fernando da Silva Santos-Júnior; Júlia de Andrade Brandão; Letícia Anderson; Ênio José Bassi; João Xavier de Araújo-Júnior; Sílvia Helena Cardoso; Edeildo Ferreira da Silva-Júnior

doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115745

Druggable targets from coronaviruses for designing new antiviral drugs

Bioorg Med Chem. 2020 Nov 15;28(22):115745. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115745. Epub 2020 Sep 8.

Authors

Leandro Rocha Silva¹, Paulo Fernando da Silva Santos-Júnior², Júlia de Andrade Brandão³, Letícia Anderson⁴, Ênio José Bassi³, João Xavier de Araújo-Júnior⁵, Sílvia Helena Cardoso⁶, Edeildo Ferreira da Silva-Júnior⁷

Affiliations

¹ Chemistry and Biotechnology Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus A.C. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil; Laboratory of Organic and Medicinal Synthesis, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus Arapiraca, Manoel Severino Barbosa Avenue, Arapiraca 57309-005, Brazil.
² Chemistry and Biotechnology Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus A.C. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil.
³ IMUNOREG - Immunoregulation Research Group, Laboratory of Research in Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus AC. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil.
⁴ IMUNOREG - Immunoregulation Research Group, Laboratory of Research in Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus AC. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil; CESMAC University Center, Cônego Machado Street, Maceió 57051-160, Brazil.
⁵ Chemistry and Biotechnology Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus A.C. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil; Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus A.C. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil.
⁶ Laboratory of Organic and Medicinal Synthesis, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus Arapiraca, Manoel Severino Barbosa Avenue, Arapiraca 57309-005, Brazil.
⁷ Chemistry and Biotechnology Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus A.C. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil; Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Campus A.C. Simões, Lourival Melo Mota Avenue, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil. Electronic address: edeildo.junior@iqb.ufal.br.

Abstract

Severe respiratory infections were highlighted in the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2002, as well as MERS-CoV, in 2012. Recently, the novel CoV (COVID-19) has led to severe respiratory damage to humans and deaths in Asia, Europe, and Americas, which allowed the WHO to declare the pandemic state. Notwithstanding all impacts caused by Coronaviruses, it is evident that the development of new antiviral agents is an unmet need. In this review, we provide a complete compilation of all potential antiviral agents targeting macromolecular structures from these Coronaviruses (Coronaviridae), providing a medicinal chemistry viewpoint that could be useful for designing new therapeutic agents.

Keywords: MERS-CoV; Medicinal chemistry; Molecular modeling; SARS-CoV; SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
Drug Design*
Humans
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus / drug effects*
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects*

Substances

Antiviral Agents