Potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2: recent advances

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) appeared in 2019 and is the causative agent of the new pandemic viral disease COVID-19. The outbreak of COVID-19 infection is affecting the entire world, thus many researchers and scientists are desperately looking for suitable vaccines and treatment options. Indeed, researches to find potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 are mainly focussed on targeting virus-host interactions or inhibiting viral assembly. Additionally, drugs and other therapeutic agents that modulate broad-spectrum host innate immune responses or interfere with signalling pathways involved in viral replication are important. These drugs may be capable of engaging host receptors or proteases utilised for viral entry or may impact the endocytosis pathway. 3CL^pro (3-chymotrypsin-like protease), PL^pro (papain-like protease), RdRp (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase), S protein (viral spike glycoprotein), TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease serine 2), ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2), and AT2 (angiotensin AT2 receptor) are important targets. With no approved therapies, this pandemic illustrates the urgent need for safe and broad-spectrum antiviral agents and strategies against SARS-CoV-2 and future pathogenic viruses. In this review, we discussed about the recent trends and important challenges regarding the potential inhibitors, antiviral drugs and nanomaterials screened against SARS-CoV-2.