Human coronaviruses and therapeutic drug discovery

Infectious Diseases of Poverty

Lan-Gui Song¹  Hui-Lin Lao²  Qing-Xing Xie²  Zhi-Yue Lv³ 

[1] The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China;Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China;Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China;NHC Key Laboratory of Control of Tropical Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China;Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China;

关键词: Human coronavirus;    Drug discovery;    Drug development;    SARS-CoV-2;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40249-021-00812-9

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCoronaviruses (CoVs) are distributed worldwide and have various susceptible hosts; CoVs infecting humans are called human coronaviruses (HCoVs). Although HCoV-specific drugs are still lacking, many potent targets for drug discovery are being explored, and many vigorously designed clinical trials are being carried out in an orderly manner. The aim of this review was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current status of drug development against HCoVs, particularly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).Main textA scoping review was conducted by electronically searching research studies, reviews, and clinical trials in PubMed and the CNKI. Studies on HCoVs and therapeutic drug discovery published between January 2000 and October 2020 and in English or Chinese were included, and the information was summarized. Of the 3248 studies identified, 159 publication were finally included. Advances in drug development against HCoV, especially SARS-CoV-2, are summarized under three categories: antiviral drugs aimed at inhibiting the HCoV proliferation process, drugs acting on the host's immune system, and drugs derived from plants with potent activity. Furthermore, clinical trials of drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 are summarized.ConclusionsDuring the spread of COVID-19 outbreak, great efforts have been made in therapeutic drug discovery against the virus, although the pharmacological effects and adverse reactions of some drugs under study are still unclear. However, well-designed high-quality studies are needed to further study the effectiveness and safety of these potential drugs so as to provide valid recommendations for better control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY