ABSTRACT

Introduction: There are currently no specific drugs and universal vaccines for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), hence urgent effective measures are needed to discover and develop therapeutic agents. Applying peptide therapeutics and their related compounds is a promising strategy to achieve this goal. This review is written based on the literature search using several databases, previous studies, scientific reports, our current knowledge about the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and our personal analyses on the potential of the antiviral peptides for the treatment of COVID-19.

Areas covered: In this review, we begin with a brief description of SARS-CoV2 followed by a comprehensive description of antiviral peptides (AVPs) including natural and synthetic AMPs or AVPs and peptidomimetics. Subsequently, the structural features, mechanisms of action, limitations, and therapeutic applications of these peptides are explained.

Expert opinion: Regarding the lack and the limitations of drugs against COVID-19, AMPs, AVPs, and other peptide-like compounds such as peptidomimetics have captured the attention of researchers due to their potential antiviral activities. Some of these compounds comprise unique properties and have demonstrated the potential to fight SARS-CoV2, particularly melittin, lactoferrin, enfuvirtide, and rupintrivir that have the potential to enter animal and clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19.

摘要

简介: 目前尚无针对 2019 冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的特异性药物和通用疫苗，因此迫切需要采取有效措施来发现和开发治疗剂。应用肽疗法及其相关化合物是实现这一目标的有前途的策略。本综述基于使用多个数据库的文献搜索、先前的研究、科学报告、我们目前对抗菌肽 (AMP) 的了解以及我们对抗病毒肽治疗 COVID-19 的潜力的个人分析而撰写。

涵盖的领域：在本综述中，我们首先简要描述 SARS-CoV2，然后全面描述抗病毒肽 (AVP)，包括天然和合成 AMP 或 AVP 和肽模拟物。随后，解释了这些肽的结构特征、作用机制、局限性和治疗应用。

专家意见：针对 COVID-19 药物的缺乏和局限性，AMPs、AVPs 和其他肽类化合物（如肽模拟物）因其潜在的抗病毒活性而引起了研究人员的关注。其中一些化合物具有独特的特性，并已证明具有对抗 SARS-CoV2 的潜力，特别是蜂毒肽、乳铁蛋白、恩夫韦肽和 rupintrivir，它们有可能进入用于治疗 COVID-19 的动物和临床试验。