title: Progress of small molecular inhibitors in the development of anti-influenza virus agents.
abstract: The influenza pandemic is a major threat to human health, and highly aggressive strains such as H1N1, H5N1 and H7N9 have emphasized the need for therapeutic strategies to combat these pathogens. Influenza anti-viral agents, especially active small molecular inhibitors play important roles in controlling pandemics while vaccines are developed. Currently, only a few drugs, which function as influenza neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors and M2 ion channel protein inhibitors, are approved in clinical. However, the acquired resistance against current anti-influenza drugs and the emerging mutations of influenza virus itself remain the major challenging unmet medical needs for influenza treatment. It is highly desirable to identify novel anti-influenza agents. This paper reviews the progress of small molecular inhibitors act as antiviral agents, which include hemagglutinin (HA) inhibitors, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors, NA inhibitors and M2 ion channel protein inhibitors etc. Moreover, we also summarize new, recently reported potential targets and discuss strategies for the development of new anti-influenza virus drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Sichuan 610041, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University.; Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education.
authors.forename: Xiuli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Sichuan 610041, China.
authors.forename: Qizheng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Sichuan 610041, China.
authors.forename: Chunhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Sichuan 610041, China.
authors.forename: Shengyong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhiyun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents
keywords: M2 ion channel protein inhibitors.; RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors; anti-influenza virus agent; hemagglutinin inhibitors; neuraminidase inhibitors