SARS‐COV‐2 (COVID‐19): Cellular and biochemical properties and pharmacological insights into new therapeutic developments

Abstract

COVID‐19 caused by SARS‐COV‐2 first appeared in the Wuhan City of China and began to spread rapidly among people. Rapid progression of the outbreak has led to a major global public health problem of a potentially fatal disease. On January 30, 2020, WHO declared the pandemic as the sixth public health emergency of the world. Upon this, the whole country has started to take the necessary precautions. The new coronavirus uses membrane‐bound angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to enter into the cells, such as SARS‐CoV, and mostly affects the respiratory tract. Symptoms of COVID‐19 patients include fever (93%), fatigue (70%), cough (70%), anorexia (40%) and dyspnoea (34.5%). The elderly and people with underlying chronic diseases are more susceptible to infection and higher mortality. Currently, a large number of drugs and vaccines studies are ongoing. In this review, we discussed the virology, epidemiological data, the replication of the virus, and its relationship with cardiovascular diseases on COVID‐19 pandemics, treatment and vaccines. Thereby, this study aims to neatly present scientific data in light of many regarding literature that can be a clue for readers who research this disease prevention and treatment. Significance of the study This review summarized current information on COVID‐19 (epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical, laboratory, cardiovascular diseases, ACE2 and pharmacological agents) for researchers and reveals guiding data for researchers, especially in the field of cardiovascular system, pharmacology, dysregulation of cellular function in disease, molecular and cell biology and physiology in the regulation of tissue function in health and disease.

Effects of antiviral drug therapy on dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis and nitric oxide levels in COVID-19 patients

“…The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is induced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes pneumonia, cardiovascular dysfunctions, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiple organ failure ( Parlakpinar and Gunata, 2021 ). These changes have been attributed to a systemic inflammatory response, a cytokine storm, and an attack by the immune system ( Coperchini et al, 2020 ; Parlakpinar and Gunata, 2021 ).…”

“…The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is induced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes pneumonia, cardiovascular dysfunctions, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiple organ failure ( Parlakpinar and Gunata, 2021 ). These changes have been attributed to a systemic inflammatory response, a cytokine storm, and an attack by the immune system ( Coperchini et al, 2020 ; Parlakpinar and Gunata, 2021 ). The maintenance of the thiol/disulphide balance is an important aspect of viral reactivity, entry, and fusion into the host cell; however, the oxidative stress produced from free radicals can disturb this balance ( Lavillette et al, 2006 ; Suhail et al, 2020 ; Hati and Bhattacharyya, 2020 ).…”

“…It is known that the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the functional receptor used for SARS-CoV-2 to enter the host cells. In particular, the interaction between ACE2 and the viral spike proteins is an essential step in the viral replication cycle ( Parlakpinar and Gunata, 2021 ). The receptor-binding domain of the viral spike proteins and ACE2 have several cysteine residues that participate in intra-molecular disulphide bonds ( Singh et al, 2020 ).…”

Genomic variation, origin tracing, and vaccine development of SARS-CoV-2: A systematic review

“…5,6 Coronaviruses contain a single-stranded RNA genome ranging from 25 to 32 kilobases and are generally categorized into four major genera: alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-coronavirus. 7,8 SARS coronavirus caused an outbreak in 2002, resulting in more than 8,000 infections and 774 deaths across 37 countries. 9,10 Another coronavirus discovered in Saudi Arabia, MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), is reportedly responsible for 2,494 confirmed cases and 858 deaths since September 2012.…”

COVID‐19 pandemic: mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment

“…SARS‐CoV‐2, previously known as the 2019‐novel coronavirus, is classified as beta‐CoV by the WHO 2 . The COVID‐19 infection is highly contagious and transmissible due to its affinity for binding to the ACE2 receptors, and this is why it has rapidly spread from its epicenter in Wuhan, China, to more than 200 countries around the world 3–5 . On 11 March 2020, WHO categorized COVID‐19 as a pandemic.…”