Zeitschrift für Infektionskrankheiten und Therapie

Abstrakt

Coronaviruses and the Associated Potential Therapeutics for the Viral Infections

Shilei Wang, Yichi Zhang, Shuo Liu, Hongmei Peng, Vienna Mackey and Lichun Sun

Coronaviruses (CoVs), named after the crown-like spikes on their surfaces, belong to the RNA virus family Coronaviridae. Coronaviruses are enveloped RNA viruses with a linear positive-sense single–stranded genome consisting of the open reading frames (ORFs), the 5’- methylated cap, and the 3’- poly (A) tail. The open reading frames encode structural proteins and nonstructural proteins that may be drug-targetable. Antiviral medications seek to target these key proteins via different mechanisms. There have been seven coronaviruses discovered that are capable of infecting human beings, three of which including MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, originated in wild animals and evolved to develop rapid human-to-human transmission, resulting in severe respiratory diseases among other pathologies, even deaths. Particularly, the outbreak of the novel Wuhan coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has now rapidly spread across China and into many other countries. Sadly, there is no any effective vaccine or specific drug available. Many patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 have succumbed. Thus, there is a burning need for the anti-coronavirus drug development. The antiviral prodrug, Remdesivir, developed by the company Gilead, is currently under clinical investigation in China.