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Review
. 2024 May 10;25(10):5188.
doi: 10.3390/ijms25105188.

Pseudovirus-Based Systems for Screening Natural Antiviral Agents: A Comprehensive Review

Paola Trischitta  1   2 , Maria Pia Tamburello  1 , Assunta Venuti  3 , Rosamaria Pennisi  1
Affiliations
Review

Pseudovirus-Based Systems for Screening Natural Antiviral Agents: A Comprehensive Review

Paola Trischitta et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, researchers have been working tirelessly to discover effective ways to combat coronavirus infection. The use of computational drug repurposing methods and molecular docking has been instrumental in identifying compounds that have the potential to disrupt the binding between the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 and human ACE2 (hACE2). Moreover, the pseudovirus approach has emerged as a robust technique for investigating the mechanism of virus attachment to cellular receptors and for screening targeted small molecule drugs. Pseudoviruses are viral particles containing envelope proteins, which mediate the virus's entry with the same efficiency as that of live viruses but lacking pathogenic genes. Therefore, they represent a safe alternative to screen potential drugs inhibiting viral entry, especially for highly pathogenic enveloped viruses. In this review, we have compiled a list of antiviral plant extracts and natural products that have been extensively studied against enveloped emerging and re-emerging viruses by pseudovirus technology. The review is organized into three parts: (1) construction of pseudoviruses based on different packaging systems and applications; (2) knowledge of emerging and re-emerging viruses; (3) natural products active against pseudovirus-mediated entry. One of the most crucial stages in the life cycle of a virus is its penetration into host cells. Therefore, the discovery of viral entry inhibitors represents a promising therapeutic option in fighting against emerging viruses.

Keywords: antivirals; emerging viruses; natural products; pseudovirus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Where authors are identified as personnel of the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization, the authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article, and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policies, or views of the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representation of three different packaging systems for pseudovirus production (reviewed from the paper by Xiang Q et al., 2022 [2]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Natural Therapeutic Compounds against Coronaviruses. Graphical representation of natural compounds that have shown potential therapeutic activity against SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Natural Therapeutic Compounds against Viruses. Graphical representation of natural compounds that have shown potential therapeutic activity against EBOV, influenza virus, Lassa virus, HIV, and Chikungunya virus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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