Arbidol: A potential antiviral drug for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 by blocking the trimerization of viral spike glycoprotein?

Naveen Vankadari

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213 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is a global public health emergency, and new therapeutics are needed. This article reports the potential drug target and mechanism of action of Arbidol (umifenovir) to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Molecular dynamics and structural analysis were used to show how Arbidol targets the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and impedes its trimerization, which is key for host cell adhesion and hijacking, indicating the potential of Arbidol to treat COVID-19. It is hoped that knowledge of the potential drug target and mechanism of action of Arbidol will help in the development of new therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105998
Number of pages3
JournalInternational Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
Volume56
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2020

Keywords

  • Antiviral
  • Coronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Molecular dynamics
  • Spike glycoprotein

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