The pandemic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection is forcing the scientific community to unprecedented efforts to explore all possible approaches against COVID-19. In this context, targeting virus entry is a promising antiviral strategy for controlling viral infections. The main strategies pursued to inhibit the viral entry are considering both the virus and the host factors involved in the process. Primarily, direct-acting antivirals rely on inhibition of the interaction between ACE2 and the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the Spike (S) protein or targeting the more conserved heptad repeats (HRs), involved in the membrane fusion process. The inhibition of host TMPRSS2 and cathepsins B/L may represent a complementary strategy to be investigated. In this review, we discuss the development entry inhibitors targeting the S protein, as well as the most promising host targeting strategies involving TMPRSS2 and CatB/L, which have been exploited so far against CoVs and other related viruses.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus, spike, Cathepsins, SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors, small molecules inhibitors, peptides inhibitors, TMPRSS2, 【초록키워드】 ACE2, pandemic, Antiviral, Infection, virus, viral entry, viral infections, Receptor binding domain, Protein, RBD, virus entry, Evolution of SARS-CoV-2, CoV, Scientific community, membrane fusion, Entry inhibitor, cathepsin, Interaction, complementary, Factor, related viruses, effort, heptad repeat, Host, approach, direct-acting antiviral, conserved, involved, investigated, inhibit, the S protein, the Spike, HRs, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, molecule, targeting,