Title:Molecular Insights of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Molecular
Treatments
Volume: 22
Issue: 7
Author(s): Lama Abdurrahman, Xiaoqian Fang and Yonghong Zhang *
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas 78539, USA
Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, viral molecules, potential targets, molecular inhibitors, antibodies, vaccines.
Abstract: The coronavirus disease emerged in December 2019 (COVID-19) is caused
by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Its rapid
global spread has brought an international health emergency and urgent responses for
seeking efficient prevention and therapeutic treatment. This has led to imperative needs
for illustration of the molecular pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, identification of molecular
targets or receptors, and development of antiviral drugs, antibodies, and vaccines. In
this study, we investigated the current research progress in combating SARS-CoV-2
infection. Based on the published research findings, we first elucidated, at the molecular
level, SARS-CoV-2 viral structures, potential viral host-cell-invasion, pathogenic
mechanisms, main virus-induced immune responses, and emerging SARS-CoV-2
variants. We then focused on the main virus- and host-based potential targets and
summarized and categorized effective inhibitory molecules based on drug development
strategies for COVID-19 that can guide efforts for the identification of new drugs and
treatment for this problematic disease. Current research and development of antibodies
and vaccines were also introduced and discussed. We concluded that the main virus
entry route- SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interaction with ACE2 receptors played a key
role in guiding the development of therapeutic treatments against COVID-19. Four main
strategies may be considered in developing molecular therapeutics, and drug
repurposing is likely to be an easy, fast and low-cost approach in such a short period of
time with urgent need of antiviral drugs. Additionally, the quick development of antibody
and vaccine candidates has yielded promising results, but the wide-scale deployment of
safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines remains paramount in solving the pandemic
crisis. As new variants of the virus emerge, the efficacy of these vaccines and
treatments must be closely evaluated. Finally, we discussed the possible challenges of
developing molecular therapeutics for COVID-19 and suggested some potential future
efforts. Despite the limited availability of literature, our attempt in this work to provide a
relatively comprehensive overview of current SARS-CoV-2 studies can be helpful for
quickly acquiring the key information of COVID-19 and further promoting this important
research to control and diminish the pandemic.
