Ebselen, disulfiram, carmofur, PX-12, tideglusib, and shikonin are non-specific promiscuous SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors.

ABSTRACT: There is an urgent need for vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouraging progress has been made in developing antivirals targeting SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19. Among the drug targets being investigated, the viral main protease (M ^pro ) is one of the most extensively studied drug targets. M ^pro is a cysteine protease that hydrolyzes the viral polyprotein at more than 11 sites and it is highly conserved among coronaviruses. In addition, M ^pro has a unique substrate preference for glutamine in the P1 position. Taken together, it appears that M ^pro inhibitors can achieve both broad-spectrum antiviral activity and a high selectivity index. Structurally diverse compounds have been reported as M ^pro

SUBMITTER: Ma C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7523112 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature