Graphical abstract Highlights • The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has posed significant threats to public health worldwide. • Target-based drug development is a promising approach against SARS-CoV-2 infection. • Nonstructural proteins may play critical roles from drug design perspectives. • Insights into NSPs of different viruses could streamline novel drug development. Outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2 have produced high pathogenicity and mortality rates in human populations. However, to meet the increasing demand for treatment of these pathogenic coronaviruses, accelerating novel antiviral drug development as much as possible has become a public concern. Target-based drug development may be a promising approach to achieve this goal. In this review, the relevant features of potential molecular targets in human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are highlighted, including the viral protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and methyltransferases. Additionally, recent advances in the development of antivirals based on these targets are summarized. This review is expected to provide new insights and potential strategies for the development of novel antiviral drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.
【저자키워드】 Molecular targets, inhibitors, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, viral protease, coronavirus,