Progress on SARS-CoV-2 cell entry inhibitors

ABSTRACT

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 is not clear, which is one of the reasons that only Remdesivir has been approved by FDA for treating COVID-19. Although some new vaccines have been a- vailable, the quick mutations of SARS-CoV-2 affect the effectiveness of vaccines, calling for further assessment of the persistence and safety of vaccines. Therefore, drug treatment and prevention are still effective ways to deal with the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2. The article briefly summarizes the molecular mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 entry based on the existing literature. This virus enters the cell through two main ways, that is, spike protein mediating membrane fusion with plasma membrane or endosome membrane. According to the targets, the article summarizes the reported inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells, aiming to provide a reference for following research and clinical application of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.