Abstract

LAM-CABANILLAS, Eduardo et al. Molecular basis of covid-19 pathogenesis and in silico studies of potential pharmacological treatment. Rev. Fac. Med. Hum. [online]. 2021, vol.21, n.2, pp.417-432. ISSN 1814-5469.  http://dx.doi.org/10.25176/rfmh.v21i1.3327.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a virus that represents a serious threat to global health. The objective of the article is to deepen into the structure of the non-structural proteins (Nsp1-16) and structural proteins (Spike, Envelope, Mmebrane and Nucleocapside) of SARS-CoV-2 and their role during the infection of its target cells; also to propose molecules from in silico studies that inhibit proteins of the viral cycle for potential pharmacological treatments. The SARS-CoV-2 genome has ORF1a and ORF1ab that encode sixteen non-structural proteins (Nsp1-16), as well as thirteen ORFs that encode four structural proteins and nine accessory proteins. The Nsps participate both in the viral cycle, being Nsp3 and Nsp5 responsible for the cleavage of polyproteins 1a and 1ab for the subsequent formation of the replica-transcriptase complex, and favoring the progress of the viral infection. The S protein mediates the union and fusion of the virus to the host cell through its subunits S1 and S2, respectively; however, it must be previously activated by proteases such as TMPRSS2, furin, trypsin or catepsins. On the other hand, the E, M and N proteins participate in the assembly of the virus and until now the functions of the accessory proteins are unknown. Also, in silico studies of drugs such as disulfiram and viomycin, and molecules found in plants as Azadirachta indica, the tea plant, and Andrographis paniculata have shown inhibitory effects on the SARS-CoV-2 viral cycle.

Keywords : SARS-CoV-2; genome; protein structure; in silico. (Source: MeSH - NLM).

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