Introduction: Introduction: The world is witnessing the spread of one of the members of Coronaviruses (CoVs) family, called
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the 21st century. Considering the short time
spent after its prevalence, limited information is known about the effect of the virus mechanism on different
organs of the body; meanwhile the lack of specific treatment and vaccine for this virus has exposed millions of
people to a big challenge.
Areas covered: The review article aims to describe the general and particular characteristics of CoVs, their
classification, genome structure, host cell infection, cytokine storm, anti-viral treatments, and inhibition of
COVID-19-related ER-mitochondrial stress. In addition, it refers to drugs such as Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine,
Lopinavir/Ritonavir, darunavir, ribavirin, remdesivir, and favipiravir, which have undergone
clinical trials for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. This analysis was derived from an extensive
scientific literature search including Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar performed.
Expert opinion: The effectiveness rate and complications of these drugs can reveal new insights into the potential
therapeutic goals for the disease. Moreover, lifestyle change can effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Methods: Introduction: The world is witnessing the spread of one of the members of Coronaviruses (CoVs) family, called
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the 21st century. Considering the short time
spent after its prevalence, limited information is known about the effect of the virus mechanism on different
organs of the body; meanwhile the lack of specific treatment and vaccine for this virus has exposed millions of
people to a big challenge.
Areas covered: The review article aims to describe the general and particular characteristics of CoVs, their
classification, genome structure, host cell infection, cytokine storm, anti-viral treatments, and inhibition of
COVID-19-related ER-mitochondrial stress. In addition, it refers to drugs such as Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine,
Lopinavir/Ritonavir, darunavir, ribavirin, remdesivir, and favipiravir, which have undergone
clinical trials for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. This analysis was derived from an extensive
scientific literature search including Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar performed.
Expert opinion: The effectiveness rate and complications of these drugs can reveal new insights into the potential
therapeutic goals for the disease. Moreover, lifestyle change can effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Results: Introduction: The world is witnessing the spread of one of the members of Coronaviruses (CoVs) family, called
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the 21st century. Considering the short time
spent after its prevalence, limited information is known about the effect of the virus mechanism on different
organs of the body; meanwhile the lack of specific treatment and vaccine for this virus has exposed millions of
people to a big challenge.
Areas covered: The review article aims to describe the general and particular characteristics of CoVs, their
classification, genome structure, host cell infection, cytokine storm, anti-viral treatments, and inhibition of
COVID-19-related ER-mitochondrial stress. In addition, it refers to drugs such as Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine,
Lopinavir/Ritonavir, darunavir, ribavirin, remdesivir, and favipiravir, which have undergone
clinical trials for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. This analysis was derived from an extensive
scientific literature search including Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar performed.
Expert opinion: The effectiveness rate and complications of these drugs can reveal new insights into the potential
therapeutic goals for the disease. Moreover, lifestyle change can effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Conclusion: Introduction: The world is witnessing the spread of one of the members of Coronaviruses (CoVs) family, called
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the 21st century. Considering the short time
spent after its prevalence, limited information is known about the effect of the virus mechanism on different
organs of the body; meanwhile the lack of specific treatment and vaccine for this virus has exposed millions of
people to a big challenge.
Areas covered: The review article aims to describe the general and particular characteristics of CoVs, their
classification, genome structure, host cell infection, cytokine storm, anti-viral treatments, and inhibition of
COVID-19-related ER-mitochondrial stress. In addition, it refers to drugs such as Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine,
Lopinavir/Ritonavir, darunavir, ribavirin, remdesivir, and favipiravir, which have undergone
clinical trials for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. This analysis was derived from an extensive
scientific literature search including Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar performed.
Expert opinion: The effectiveness rate and complications of these drugs can reveal new insights into the potential
therapeutic goals for the disease. Moreover, lifestyle change can effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords: Anti-viral treatments
Cytokine storm
MERS
Pathogenesis
SARS-CoV-2
SARS