Protease Inhibitors as Promising Weapons against COVID-19: Focus on Repurposing of Drugs used to Treat HIV and HCV Infections

Curr Top Med Chem. 2021 Oct 25;21(16):1429-1438. doi: 10.2174/1568026621666210701093407.

Abstract

As a part of the efforts to quickly develop pharmaceutical treatments for COVID-19 through repurposing existing drugs, some researchers around the world have combined the recently released crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in complex with a covalently bonded inhibitor with virtual screening procedures employing molecular docking approaches. In this context, protease inhibitors (PIs) clinically available and currently used to treat infectious diseases, particularly viral ones, are relevant sources of promising drug candidates to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, a key viral enzyme involved in crucial events during its life cycle. In the present perspective, we summarized the published studies showing the promising use of HIV and HCV PIs as potential repurposing drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / chemistry
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • Binding Sites
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
  • Coronavirus M Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Coronavirus M Proteins / chemistry
  • Coronavirus M Proteins / genetics
  • Coronavirus M Proteins / metabolism
  • Drug Repositioning*
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Protease Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Protease Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical
  • Protein Conformation, beta-Strand
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects*
  • SARS-CoV-2 / enzymology
  • SARS-CoV-2 / genetics
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Coronavirus M Proteins
  • Protease Inhibitors