Antimicrobial peptides: A plausible approach for COVID-19 treatment

Area of Science:

• Virology and Immunology
• Drug Discovery and Development

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, remains a global health crisis with significant mortality.
• Existing treatments for COVID-19 are insufficient to combat the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) effectively.
• Antiviral peptides (AVPs) have demonstrated potential prophylactic and therapeutic benefits against various coronaviruses (CoVs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review different types of antiviral peptides (AVPs) investigated for COVID-19 treatment.
• To elucidate the mechanisms of action of these AVPs against SARS-CoV-2.
• To discuss the potential of AVPs as a therapeutic strategy for managing COVID-19, considering challenges like virus mutations.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on antiviral peptides and their efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
• Analysis of mechanisms by which AVPs inhibit viral entry, fusion, and proteolytic enzyme activation.
• Discussion of peptide-based strategies targeting viral binding to ACE2 or integrins, and key proteases like cathepsin L, TMPRSS2, and furin.

Main Results:

• AVPs target multiple stages of the SARS-CoV-2 lifecycle, including viral entry and replication.
• Peptides inhibiting viral binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) or integrins show promise.
• AVPs targeting viral fusion mechanisms and proteolytic enzyme activation (cathepsin L, TMPRSS2, furin) are under investigation.

Conclusions:

• Antiviral peptides offer significant therapeutic advantages and formulation benefits for COVID-19 treatment.
• Multi-targeted AVPs are considered superior for managing COVID-19, especially against evolving SARS-CoV-2 mutants.
• AVPs represent a promising avenue for developing effective treatments against current and future coronavirus infections.