New Approaches and Repurposed Antiviral Drugs for the Treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The outbreak of this coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan (Hubei, China) in December 2019, and it was declared as pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. Today, several vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been approved, and some neutralizing monoclonal antibodies are being tested as therapeutic approaches for COVID-19 but, one of the key questions is whether both vaccines and monoclonal antibodies could be effective against infections by new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Nevertheless, there are currently more than 1000 ongoing clinical trials focusing on the use and effectiveness of antiviral drugs as a possible therapeutic treatment. Among the classes of antiviral drugs are included 3CL protein inhibitors, RNA synthesis inhibitors and other small molecule drugs which target the ability of SARS-COV-2 to interact with host cells. Considering the need to find specific treatment to prevent the emergent outbreak, the aim of this review is to explain how some repurposed antiviral drugs, indicated for the treatment of other viral infections, could be potential candidates for the treatment of COVID-19.

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Antiviral Potential of Nanoparticles—Can Nanoparticles Fight Against Coronaviruses?

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano10091645 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1645 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sangiliyandi Gurunathan ◽

Muhammad Qasim ◽

Youngsok Choi ◽

Jeong Tae Do ◽

Chankyu Park ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Global Economy ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Antiviral Agents ◽

Antiviral Drugs ◽

Host Cells ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Organic Nanoparticles ◽

Antiviral Therapies ◽

Low Probability

Infectious diseases account for more than 20% of global mortality and viruses are responsible for about one-third of these deaths. Highly infectious viral diseases such as severe acute respiratory (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are emerging more frequently and their worldwide spread poses a serious threat to human health and the global economy. The current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of 27 July 2020, SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 16 million people and led to the death of more than 652,434 individuals as on 27 July 2020 while also causing significant economic losses. To date, there are no vaccines or specific antiviral drugs to prevent or treat COVID-19. Hence, it is necessary to accelerate the development of antiviral drugs and vaccines to help mitigate this pandemic. Non-Conventional antiviral agents must also be considered and exploited. In this regard, nanoparticles can be used as antiviral agents for the treatment of various viral infections. The use of nanoparticles provides an interesting opportunity for the development of novel antiviral therapies with a low probability of developing drug resistance compared to conventional chemical-based antiviral therapies. In this review, we first discuss viral mechanisms of entry into host cells and then we detail the major and important types of nanomaterials that could be used as antiviral agents. These nanomaterials include silver, gold, quantum dots, organic nanoparticles, liposomes, dendrimers and polymers. Further, we consider antiviral mechanisms, the effects of nanoparticles on coronaviruses and therapeutic approaches of nanoparticles. Finally, we provide our perspective on the future of nanoparticles in the fight against viral infections.

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Immunomodulators for Curtailing COVID-19: a Positive Approach

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics ◽

10.22270/jddt.v10i3-s.4085 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3-s) ◽

pp. 286-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shabir Ahmad Bhat ◽

Shameem Ahmad Rather ◽

Arsheed Iqbal ◽

Haider Ali Qureshi ◽

Naquibul Islam

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

The People ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Health Organization ◽

Past Experiences

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly infectious, spreading swiftly from man to man which has not been previously recognized in humans. World Health Organization (WHO) on February 11, 2020 named the infection as COVID-19 as an acronym for ‘coronavirus disease-2019’ and on March 11, 2020 declared the outbreak as pandemic. It affects all the people without discrimination, however, older, immune compromised are more susceptible. The virus chiefly spread through droplet infection from infected person to healthy one by coughing, sneezing or with infected hands when touched to eyes, nose or mouth. Symptoms of the infection range from mild to severe ones. In severe cases (approx. 14% of cases) fever typically of high grade (104oF), breathlessness, pneumonia and severe acute respiratory syndrome may appear. So far no specific treatment or vaccine for novel coronavirus-2019 is there. From the past and recent past experiences we have learnt that herbal medicines have proven beneficial against various dreadful viral infections. Assessment of immune enhancing herbs in this paper may definitely be helpful for the body to fight COVID-19 infection. Keywords: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, COVID-19, Pneumonia, Immune, Herbs

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An Update of Pharmacological and Non-pharmacological Therapies for COVID-19 Pandemic Trivia

Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Research ◽

10.18502/pbr.v6i(s1).4399 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shamabaditya Goswami ◽

Nikita Pal ◽

Kushal Nath Mishra ◽

Prashant Singh ◽

Zahra Chegini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Age Groups ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Pharmacological Therapy ◽

World Health ◽

Supportive Treatment ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Lifestyle Management ◽

Ssrna Virus ◽

Health Organization

Background: The whole planet is facing one of the scariest pandemic situations in this era. On 11th February, 2020 the World Health Organization announced the name of an unknown disease as COVID-19, which is caused by the ssRNA virus SARS-CoV-2 (formally recognized as a sister of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV). The epicenter of this disease is Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. COVID-19 can affect all age groups, but particularly affects immune compromised and aged persons with co-morbid conditions. It is highly contagious disease that involves mild to severe respiratory symptoms along with breathing difficulties. Objectives: As SARS-CoV-2 is a new strain of β-coronavirus that spreads from animals to humans via an unknown intermediate host, no vaccines have been developed yet and only supportive treatment is given to the infected patients. The review paper highlights the pharmacological therapy as a supportive treatment given to the COVID-19 patients and non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches for the prevention. Methods: Methods: Authors were surveyed and reviewed numerous articles, magazines, news papers, conference proceedings from different search engines and made the review successful. Results: Some drugs of different categories are approved and prescribed to the patients and some others are still under investigation and have gone through clinical trials. Conclusion: As no specific treatment or drugs for this disease have been developed till the date; therefore, social distancing, home quarantine, and proper healthy lifestyle management are the best current short-term options to avoid further spread of this pervasive virus.

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The Effectiveness of Probiotics against Viral Infections: A Rapid Review with Focus on SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2020.5483 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (T1) ◽

pp. 496-508

Author(s):

Jehan Abdul-Sattar Salman ◽

Nibras Nazar Mahmood ◽

Ban Oday Abdulsattar ◽

Hussein Adil Abid

Keyword(s):

Viral Infections ◽

Antiviral Agents ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Health Benefit ◽

Cost Effective ◽

World Health ◽

Rapid Review ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Cost Effective Treatment ◽

Health Organization

Viral infections have gained great attention following the rapid emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic around the globe. Even with the continuous research on developing vaccines and antiviral agents against various viral infections, no specific treatment or vaccine has been approved for many enteric or respiratory viral infections; in addition, the efficiency of currently available treatments is still limited. One of the most reliable and recommended strategies to control viral infections is prevention. Recently, intense studies are focusing on a promising approach for treating/preventing various viral infections using probiotics. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics can be defined as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amount, confer a health benefit to the host.” The use of probiotics is a simple, cost-effective, and safe strategy to prevent viral infections, specifically; respiratory tract and intestinal ones, by different means such as stimulating the host’s immune response or modulating gut microbiota. In this rapid review, we emphasize the protective effects of probiotics against viral infections and proposed mechanisms for protection that might offer a novel and cost-effective treatment against current and newly discovered viruses like SARS-CoV-2.

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Coronavirus disease and diabetes – Interplay of two pandemics

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.26452/ijrps.v11ispl1.3443 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽

pp. 1048-1053

Author(s):

Chitrika Subhadarsanee ◽

Prasad V Dhadse ◽

Vidya Baliga ◽

Komal Bhombe

Keyword(s):

Multiple Organ Failure ◽

Organ Failure ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Multiple Organ ◽

Host Cells ◽

World Health ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Enveloped Virus ◽

Viral Interactions ◽

Health Organization

“Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)” is induced by a novel enveloped virus having single-stranded RNA which was originated in Wuhan city of Hubei, province, China. The coronavirus has a protein envelope. On the outer surface, the virus has spike-like glycoprotein, which is responsible for the attachment and entrance inside host cells. It transmits rapidly affecting more than 160 countries globally, so, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it as a pandemic. It is considered as a relative of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), COVID-19 is caused by a beta coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 that affects the lower respiratory tract and manifests as pneumonia in humans. It is an airborne disease as announced by WHO and the incubation period ranges from 2 to 14 days. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 is heterogeneous, ranging from mild flu-like symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure and death. Till now, so specific treatment is invented so, prevention plays a significant role. The current situation is only limiting the spread of disease. Coronavirus infection leads to the activation of adaptive and innate immune responses, resulting in massive inflammation (to so-called cytokine storm), which in turn can lead to damage to various tissues, septic shock and multiple organ failure. According to WHO, older individuals and people having associated co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc., are at higher risk of getting infected by the coronavirus. This review explains the renewed correlation between diabetes and COVID-19. It also highlights the potential mechanisms by which diabetes regulates the host immune response and host-viral interactions.

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Repurposing Drugs for the Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612826666200707121636 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Evellyn Claudia Wietzikoski Lovato ◽

Lorena Neris Barboza ◽

Samantha Wietzikoski ◽

Amanda Nascimento Vasques de Souza ◽

Pablo Alvarez Auth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Palliative Treatment ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

Host Cells ◽

World Health ◽

Specific Drug ◽

Interferon Β ◽

Therapeutic Value ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), termed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization, is a newly emerging zoonotic agent that emerged in China in December 2019. No specific treatment for COVID-19 is currently available. Usual palliative treatment includes maintaining hydration and nutrition and controlling fever and cough. The clinical severity and extent of transmission need to be determined, and therapeutic options need to be developed and optimized. Methods: The present review discusses the recent repurposing of drugs for COVID-19 treatment. Results: Several compounds, including remdesivir, lopinavir, ritonavir, interferon-β, ribavirin, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, tocilizumab, and ivermectin, have emerged as promising alternatives. They block the virus from entering host cells, prevent viral replication, and attenuate exacerbation of the host's immune response. Conclusion: Although some evidence indicates the positive actions of different classes of compounds for the treatment of COVID-19, few clinical assays have been established to definitively demonstrate their therapeutic value in humans. Multicenter clinical studies are urgently needed to validate and standardize therapeutic regimens that involve these agents. Although science has not yet presented us with a specific drug against COVID-19, the repurposing of drugs appears to be promising in our fight against this devastating disease.

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Potential Therapeutic Targets and Vaccine Development for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Pandemic Management: A Review on the Recent Update

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2021.658519 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Uttpal Anand ◽

Shweta Jakhmola ◽

Omkar Indari ◽

Hem Chandra Jha ◽

Zhe-Sheng Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vaccine Development ◽

Therapeutic Strategies ◽

World Health ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Highly Pathogenic ◽

Small Molecule Drugs ◽

Scientific Experts ◽

Inactivated Vaccines ◽

Novel Virus ◽

Health Organization

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly pathogenic novel virus that has caused a massive pandemic called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. Wuhan, a city in China became the epicenter of the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019. The disease was declared a pandemic globally by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. SARS-CoV-2 is a beta CoV of the Coronaviridae family which usually causes respiratory symptoms that resemble common cold. Multiple countries have experienced multiple waves of the disease and scientific experts are consistently working to find answers to several unresolved questions, with the aim to find the most suitable ways to contain the virus. Furthermore, potential therapeutic strategies and vaccine development for COVID-19 management are also considered. Currently, substantial efforts have been made to develop successful and safe treatments and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Some vaccines, such as inactivated vaccines, nucleic acid-based, and vector-based vaccines, have entered phase 3 clinical trials. Additionally, diverse small molecule drugs, peptides and antibodies are being developed to treat COVID-19. We present here an overview of the virus interaction with the host and environment and anti-CoV therapeutic strategies; including vaccines and other methodologies, designed for prophylaxis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection with the hope that this integrative analysis could help develop novel therapeutic approaches against COVID-19.

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Pathogenesis of COVID-19, Disease outbreak: A Review

Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology ◽

10.2174/1389201022666210127113441 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

Author(s):

Himanshu Sharma ◽

Sonia Singh ◽

Shilpi Pathak

Keyword(s):

Specific Treatment ◽

Host Cells ◽

World Health ◽

Respiratory Disorder ◽

Epidemic Disease ◽

Major Health Problem ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Collective Information ◽

Death Cases

: Coronavirus-19 causing a severe acute respiratory disorder in humans and becoming a major health problem. Its expansion takes place very rapidly throughout the world since it has been first identified in Wuhan, China (December 2019). The causative virus is known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. And the World Health Organization has named this respiratory syndrome as a new epidemic disease called COVID-19. The incidence of COVID-19 continues to increase with three million confirmed infected cases and with 244,000 death cases worldwide. Still, now there is no specific treatment or vaccine available against COVID- 19. The collective information about the different aspects of COVID-19 viral infection has gathered from renowned journals, and electronic databases including Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed from 1990 to 2020 The current manuscript has highlighted transmission and symptoms. Therefore, the current manuscript also included says how the SARS-CoV 2 can facilitate the debut of the virus into targeted host cells.

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Endothelial activation and dysfunction in COVID-19: from basic mechanisms to potential therapeutic approaches

Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy ◽

10.1038/s41392-020-00454-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuefei Jin ◽

Wangquan Ji ◽

Haiyan Yang ◽

Shuaiyin Chen ◽

Weiguo Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Endothelial Activation ◽

World Health ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Inflammatory Reactions ◽

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽

Therapeutic Implications ◽

Endothelial Inflammation ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

AbstractOn 12 March 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. As of 4 August 2020, more than 18 million confirmed infections had been reported globally. Most patients have mild symptoms, but some patients develop respiratory failure which is the leading cause of death among COVID-19 patients. Endothelial cells with high levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression are major participants and regulators of inflammatory reactions and coagulation. Accumulating evidence suggests that endothelial activation and dysfunction participate in COVID-19 pathogenesis by altering the integrity of vessel barrier, promoting pro-coagulative state, inducing endothelial inflammation, and even mediating leukocyte infiltration. This review describes the proposed cellular and molecular mechanisms of endothelial activation and dysfunction during COVID-19 emphasizing the principal mediators and therapeutic implications.

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