The Advances of Broad-Spectrum and Hot Anti-Coronavirus Drugs

Abstract

Coronaviruses, mainly including severe acute respiratory syndrome virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Middle East respiratory syndrome virus, human coronavirus OC43, chicken infectious bronchitis virus, porcine infectious gastroenteritis virus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, and murine hepatitis virus, can cause severe diseases in humans and livestock. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is infecting millions of human beings with high morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the multiplicity of swine epidemic diarrhea coronavirus in swine suggests that coronaviruses seriously jeopardize the safety of public health and that therapeutic intervention is urgently needed. Currently, the most effective methods of prevention and control for coronaviruses are vaccine immunization and pharmacotherapy. However, the emergence of mutated viruses reduces the effectiveness of vaccines. In addition, vaccine developments often lag behind, making it difficult to put them into use early in the outbreak. Therefore, it is meaningful to screen safe, cheap, and broad-spectrum antiviral agents for coronaviruses. This review systematically summarizes the mechanisms and state of anti-human and porcine coronavirus drugs, in order to provide theoretical support for the development of anti-coronavirus drugs and other antivirals.

Keywords: PEDV; SARS-CoV-2; TCM; antiviral drugs; coronaviruses.

Figure 1

The targets of anti-coronavirus drugs and the infection processes of coronavirus. The anti-coronavirus mechanisms or targets of cepharanthine are the inhibition of viral invasion through binding to the S protein; hexachlorophenol and xanthohumol are the antagonization of the Mpro; EGCG is the inhibition of the attachment, entry, replication, and assembly of viruses; aloe vera is the direct inactivation of PEDV; Griffithsin and surfactin are the inhibition of the viral attachment; quercetin 7-rhamnoside is the inhibition of the initial stage of viral infection; chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, losartan, and cocktail therapy for coronavirus are the inhibition of the invasion of viruses by inhibiting the binding of SARS-CoV2 to the ACE2 receptor; artemisinin, lumefantrine, and homoharringtonine are the inhibition of the synthesis of early protein; Paxlovid, tomatidine, 3-(aminocarbonyl)-1-phenylpyridinium, and 2,3-dichloroaphthoquinone are the inhibition of the 3CLpro; remdesivir is the inhibition of the RdRp and nucleoside components; molnupiravir, naphthoquine, and 6-azauridine are the inhibition of the synthesis of viral RNA; Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth and JIB-04 are the stimulation of antioxidant- and H3-mediated antiviral immune responses; and azithromycin exerts antiviral effects by inducing type I interferon immune responses.