A Review on Peptide-based Therapeutics For Combatting COVID-19

Abstract

Recent breakthroughs in peptide exploration have led to revolutionary medicinal discoveries for a number of
different infectious illnesses. An immediate need exists for the development of viable treatment alternatives
in light of the continuing danger of the COVID-19 pandemic. Peptide inhibitors have notable potential for the
management of developing viral infections since they are safe, effective, and selective. Antiviral peptides may
be rationally engineered and optimally formulated using information about the 3D structures of viral proteins
and the cells they target. The resultant peptides may have broad antiviral action or be extremely selective for
certain targets and targeted viral infections. In this article, we discuss the research done so far on severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) peptide medicines. Thus far, attempts to repurpose peptide
medicines with antiviral and antibacterial properties have failed. Targeting the link between the SARS-CoV-2
spike protein and the ACE-2 (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2) that initiates cellular infection and viral
replication has yielded the most promising discoveries, albeit by no means the only ones. While there exists no
approved therapy for SARS-CoV-2, the experience gained in developing peptide drugs for this virus suggests
that this approach may now be preferable to the use of smaller molecules.