SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and targeted antiviral development

Zinuo Chen; Ruikun Du; Jazmin M Galvan Achi; Lijun Rong; Qinghua Cui

doi:10.1016/j.apsb.2021.05.007

SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and targeted antiviral development

Acta Pharm Sin B. 2021 Dec;11(12):3879-3888. doi: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.05.007. Epub 2021 May 13.

Authors

Zinuo Chen¹, Ruikun Du^{1

2

3}, Jazmin M Galvan Achi⁴, Lijun Rong⁴, Qinghua Cui^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ College of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China.
² Qingdao Academy of Chinese Medicinal Sciences, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qingdao 266122, China.
³ Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China.
⁴ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which threatens human health and public safety. In the urgent campaign to develop anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies, the initial entry step is one of the most appealing targets. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of SARS-CoV-2 cell entry, and the development of targeted antiviral strategies. Moreover, we speculate upon future directions toward next-generation of SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors during the upcoming post-pandemic era.

Keywords: Antiviral development; Cell entry; Post-pandemic; SARS-CoV-2; Spike protein.

Publication types

Review