Antimicrobial peptides and other peptide-like therapeutics as promising candidates to combat SARS-CoV-۲

Background and Objectives: There are currently no specific drugs and universal vaccines for Coronavirus disease ۲۰۱۹ (COVID-۱۹), hence urgent effective measures are needed to discover and develop therapeutic agents. Applying peptide therapeutics and their related compounds is a promising strategy to achieve this goal. This review is written based on the literature search using several databases, previous studies, scientific reports, our current knowledge about the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and our personal analyses on the potential of the antiviral peptides for the treatment of COVID-۱۹.Findings: Rhesus θ-defensin (RTD۱) had no effect on the viral load, but it indirectly reduced pulmonary complications and the death of mice due to its anti inflammatory effects. High concentration of HNPs is dangerous and can cause inflammation in the lungs of mice with SARS-COV.LL-۳۷ stimulates inflammation in the lungs after infections caused by IAV and SARS-COV. Conclusions: Antiviral peptides and other peptide-like therapeutics are promising candidates to combat SARS-CoV-۲.Many of the peptides or peptidomimetics have the potential to enter animal and clinical trials for the treatment of Covid-۱۹.The most important limitations of AVPs are cytotoxicity, low serum stability, allergic and inflammatory responses, low and relative selectivity, and high synthesis costs. The AVPs can be designed before synthesis using bioinformatics tools and protein engineering strategies to bypass most of their limitations.Peptidomimetics are more stable and have more powerful drug-like properties than natural peptides.We recommend a clinical trial on Enfuvirtide as a fusion inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-۱۹.

کلیدواژه ها:

COVID-۱۹ ، SARS-CoV-۲ ، antimicrobial peptides ، antiviral Peptides ، peptidomimetics