Exploring peptide studies related to SARS-CoV to accelerate the development of novel therapeutic and prophylactic solutions against COVID-19

In silico screening and evaluation of antiviral peptides as inhibitors against ORF9b protein of SARS-CoV-2

The present study investigated antiviral peptides (AVPs) as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Orf9b protein, a novel target for disrupting the Orf9b-TOM70 complex crucial for viral infection. In silico screening via molecular docking and MD simulations identified AVP1442 and AVP1896 with high binding affinities to Orf9b (- 846.3 kcal mol-1 and - 820 kcal mol-1, respectively), comparable to the Orf9b-TOM70 complex (- 810.99 kcal mol-1). These AVPs interacted with key amino acid residues in Orf9b, including phosphorylation sites. In addition, AVPs also closely interacted with conserved regions in Orf9b. AVP1896 formed a hydrogen bond with Orf9b's threonine at position 84. AVP1442 interacted with Orf9b's leucine at position 15. Favorable Ramachandran plots and compactness during MD simulations for up to 100 ns suggest good stability of formed complexes. These non-toxic AVPs warrant further in vitro and in vivo evaluation, potentially as components of drug cocktails with small molecules or interferon-based therapies.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-024-04032-4.

Peptides as Therapeutic Agents: Challenges and Opportunities in the Green Transition Era

Peptides are at the cutting edge of contemporary research for new potent, selective, and safe therapeutical agents. Their rise has reshaped the pharmaceutical landscape, providing solutions to challenges that traditional small molecules often cannot address. A wide variety of natural and modified peptides have been obtained and studied, and many others are advancing in clinical trials, covering multiple therapeutic areas. As the demand for peptide-based therapies grows, so does the need for sustainable and environmentally friendly synthesis methods. Traditional peptide synthesis, while effective, often involves environmentally draining processes, generating significant waste and consuming vast resources. The integration of green chemistry offers sustainable alternatives, prioritizing eco-friendly processes, waste reduction, and energy conservation. This review delves into the transformative potential of applying green chemistry principles to peptide synthesis by discussing relevant examples of the application of such approaches to the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with a peptide structure and how these efforts are critical for an effective green transition era in the pharmaceutical field.

Recent Advances in Formulations for Long-Acting Delivery of Therapeutic Peptides

Recent preclinical and clinical studies have focused on the active area of therapeutic peptides due to their high potency, selectivity, and specificity in treating a broad range of diseases. However, therapeutic peptides suffer from multiple disadvantages, such as limited oral bioavailability, short half-life, rapid clearance from the body, and susceptibility to physiological conditions (e.g., acidic pH and enzymolysis). Therefore, high peptide dosages and dose frequencies are required for effective patient treatment. Recent innovations in pharmaceutical formulations have substantially improved therapeutic peptide administration by providing the following advantages: long-acting delivery, precise dose administration, retention of biological activity, and improvement of patient compliance. This review discusses therapeutic peptides and challenges in their delivery and explores recent peptide delivery formulations, including micro/nanoparticles (based on lipids, polymers, porous silicon, silica, and stimuli-responsive materials), (stimuli-responsive) hydrogels, particle/hydrogel composites, and (natural or synthetic) scaffolds. This review further covers the applications of these formulations for prolonged delivery and sustained release of therapeutic peptides and their impact on peptide bioactivity, loading efficiency, and (in vitro/in vivo) release parameters.