Vorapaxar for COVID-19

Vorapaxar may be beneficial for COVID-19 according to the studies below. COVID-19 involves the interplay of 400+ viral and host proteins and factors providing many therapeutic targets. Scientists have proposed 11,000+ potential treatments. c19early.org analyzes 210+ treatments. We have not reviewed vorapaxar in detail.
Katamesh et al., Ticagrelor-Loaded Phospholipid–Polyoxyethylene Hybrid Nanocarriers: Enhanced Solubility and Efficacy Against SARS-CoV-2, Pharmaceuticals, doi:10.3390/ph19030373
Background: SARS-CoV-2 poses significant global health challenges, necessitating effective antiviral strategies. Ticagrelor, an FDA-approved antiplatelet drug, has shown potential against SARS-CoV-2 but suffers from low solubility and bioavailability. This study aims to develop and characterize ticagrelor-loaded hybrid nanocarriers using polyoxyethylene 40 stearate and soya lecithin to enhance drug solubility and antiviral efficacy. Methods: Ticagrelor-loaded hybrid nanocarriers were prepared using the thin-film hydration technique with varying molar ratios of polyoxyethylene 40 stearate and soya lecithin. Characterization included particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, in vitro release profiles, and cytotoxicity and antiviral assays against SARS-CoV-2 in Vero-E6 cells. Results: The hybrid nanocarriers exhibited particle sizes ranging from 90 nm to 2459 nm and zeta potentials between −36.7 mV and −41.7 mV. Formulation F2.12 demonstrated the highest drug release (90% dissolution in 5 h) and the lowest cytotoxicity and antiviral concentration (CC50 and IC50 values), significantly surpassing the efficacy of ticagrelor in powder form. Conclusions: The developed ticagrelor-loaded hybrid nanocarriers significantly enhance the drug’s solubility and efficacy against SARS-CoV-2, providing a promising platform for improved antiviral therapies. These findings indicate potential clinical applications in addressing the limitations of conventional formulations in treating COVID-19 and similar viral infections. Further studies are warranted to explore their therapeutic potential.
Zeng et al., Novel receptor, mutation, vaccine, and establishment of coping mode for SARS-CoV-2: current status and future, Frontiers in Microbiology, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1232453
Since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its resultant pneumonia in December 2019, the cumulative number of infected people worldwide has exceeded 670 million, with over 6.8 million deaths. Despite the marketing of multiple series of vaccines and the implementation of strict prevention and control measures in many countries, the spread and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 have not been completely and effectively controlled. The latest research shows that in addition to angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2), dozens of protein molecules, including AXL, can act as host receptors for SARS-CoV-2 infecting human cells, and virus mutation and immune evasion never seem to stop. To sum up, this review summarizes and organizes the latest relevant literature, comprehensively reviews the genome characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 as well as receptor-based pathogenesis (including ACE2 and other new receptors), mutation and immune evasion, vaccine development and other aspects, and proposes a series of prevention and treatment opinions. It is expected to provide a theoretical basis for an in-depth understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 along with a research basis and new ideas for the diagnosis and classification, of COVID-19-related disease and for drug and vaccine research and development.
Azeem et al., Structure based screening and molecular docking with dynamic simulation of natural secondary metabolites to target RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of five different retroviruses, PLOS ONE, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0307615
Viral diseases pose a serious global health threat due to their rapid transmission and widespread impact. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) participates in the synthesis, transcription, and replication of viral RNA in host. The current study investigates the antiviral potential of secondary metabolites particularly those derived from bacteria, fungi, and plants to develop novel medicines. Using a virtual screening approach that combines molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we aimed to discover compounds with strong interactions with RdRp of five different retroviruses. The top five compounds were selected for each viral RdRp based on their docking scores, binding patterns, molecular interactions, and drug-likeness properties. The molecular docking study uncovered several metabolites with antiviral activity against RdRp. For instance, cytochalasin Z8 had the lowest docking score of –8.9 (kcal/mol) against RdRp of SARS-CoV-2, aspulvinone D (–9.2 kcal/mol) against HIV-1, talaromyolide D (–9.9 kcal/mol) for hepatitis C, aspulvinone D (–9.9 kcal/mol) against Ebola and talaromyolide D also maintained the lowest docking score of –9.2 kcal/mol against RdRp enzyme of dengue virus. These compounds showed remarkable antiviral potential comparable to standard drug (remdesivir –7.4 kcal/mol) approved to target RdRp and possess no significant toxicity. The molecular dynamics simulation confirmed that the best selected ligands were firmly bound to their respective target proteins for a simulation time of 200 ns. The identified lead compounds possess distinctive pharmacological characteristics, making them potential candidates for repurposing as antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2. Further experimental evaluation and investigation are recommended to ascertain their efficacy and potential.