Investigational antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 patients

Targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease: a comprehensive approach using advanced virtual screening, molecular dynamics, and in vitro validation

The COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, necessitates the development of effective therapeutics. The main protease of the virus, Mpro, is a key target due to its crucial role in viral replication. Our study presents a novel approach combining ligand-based pharmacophore modeling with structure-based advanced virtual screening to identify potential inhibitors of Mpro. We screened around 200 million compounds using this integrated methodology, resulting in a shortlist of promising compounds. These were further scrutinized through molecular dynamics simulations, revealing their interaction dynamics with Mpro. Subsequent in vitro assays using the Mpro enzyme identified two compounds exhibiting significant micromolar inhibitory activity. These findings provide valuable scaffolds for the development of advanced therapeutics targeting Mpro. The comprehensive nature of our approach, spanning computational predictions to experimental validations, offers a robust pathway for rapid and efficient identification of potential drug candidates against COVID-19.

Research Progress on Sesquiterpene Compounds from Artabotrys Plants of Annonaceae

Artabotrys, a pivotal genus within the Annonaceae family, is renowned for its extensive biological significance and medicinal potential. The genus's sesquiterpene compounds have attracted considerable interest from the scientific community due to their structural complexity and diverse biological activities. These compounds exhibit a range of biological activities, including antimalarial, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory analgesic, and anti-tumor properties, positioning them as promising candidates for medical applications. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the variety, species, and structural characteristics of sesquiterpene compounds isolated from Artabotrys plants. Furthermore, it delves into their pharmacological activities and underlying mechanisms, offering a comprehensive foundation for future research.

Fungal Drug Discovery for Chronic Disease: History, New Discoveries and New Approaches

Fungal-derived drugs include some of the most important medicines ever discovered, and have proved pivotal in treating chronic diseases. Not only have they saved millions of lives, but they have in some cases changed perceptions of what is medically possible. However, now the low-hanging fruit have been discovered it has become much harder to make the kind of discoveries that have characterised past eras of fungal drug discovery. This may be about to change with new commercial players entering the market aiming to apply novel genomic tools to streamline the discovery process. This review examines the discovery history of approved fungal-derived drugs, and those currently in clinical trials for chronic diseases. For key molecules, we discuss their possible ecological functions in nature and how this relates to their use in human medicine. We show how the conservation of drug receptors between fungi and humans means that metabolites intended to inhibit competitor fungi often interact with human drug receptors, sometimes with unintended benefits. We also plot the distribution of drugs, antimicrobial compounds and psychoactive mushrooms onto a fungal tree and compare their distribution to those of all fungal metabolites. Finally, we examine the phenomenon of self-resistance and how this can be used to help predict metabolite mechanism of action and aid the drug discovery process.

Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir): A new approach to Covid-19 therapy?

Despite the need for novel, effective therapeutics for the COVID-19 pandemic, no curative regimen is yet available, therefore patients are forced to rely on supportive and nonspecific therapies. Some SARS-CoV-2 proteins, like the 3 C-like protease (3CLpro) or the major protease (Mpro), have been identified as promising targets for antiviral drugs. The Mpro has major a role in protein processing as well as pathogenesis of the virus, and could be a useful therapeutic target. The antiviral drug nirmatrelvir can keep SARS-CoV-2 from replicating through inhibiting Mpro. Nirmatrelvir was combined with another HIV protease inhibitor, ritonavir, to create Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir). The metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 3 A is inhibited by ritonavir to lengthen the half-life of nirmatrelvir, so rintonavir acts as a pharmacological enhancer. Nirmatrelvir exhibits potent antiviral activity against current coronavirus variants, despite significant alterations in the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome. Nevertheless, there are still several unanswered questions. This review summarizes the current literature on nirmatrelvir and ritonavir efficacy in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection, and also their safety and possible side effects.