Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment
Saquinavir was the first protease inhibitor developed for HIV therapy, and it changed the standard of treatment for this disease to a combination of drugs that ultimately led to increased survival of this otherwise deadly condition. Inhibiting the HIV protease impedes the virus from maturing and rep...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Biomolecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/12/7/944 |
| _version_ | 1827624493572423680 |
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| author | Mariana Pereira Nuno Vale |
| author_facet | Mariana Pereira Nuno Vale |
| author_sort | Mariana Pereira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Saquinavir was the first protease inhibitor developed for HIV therapy, and it changed the standard of treatment for this disease to a combination of drugs that ultimately led to increased survival of this otherwise deadly condition. Inhibiting the HIV protease impedes the virus from maturing and replicating. With this in mind, since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the research for already approved drugs (mainly antivirals) to repurpose for treatment of this disease has increased. Among the drugs tested, saquinavir showed promise in silico and in vitro in the inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CLpro). Another field for saquinavir repurposing has been in anticancer treatment, in which it has shown effects in vitro and in vivo in several types of cancer, from Kaposi carcinoma to neuroblastoma, demonstrating cytotoxicity, apoptosis, inhibition of cell invasion, and improvement of radiosensibility of cancer cells. Despite the lack of follow-up in clinical trials for cancer use, there has been a renewed interest in this drug recently due to COVID-19, which shows similar pharmacological pathways and has developed superior in silico models that can be translated to oncologic research. This could help further testing and future approval of saquinavir repurposing for cancer treatment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:10:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2182f35398dd4b8fb2ed6fb5441d8064 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-273X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:10:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomolecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-2182f35398dd4b8fb2ed6fb5441d80642023-11-30T22:52:19ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2022-07-0112794410.3390/biom12070944Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer TreatmentMariana Pereira0Nuno Vale1OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, PortugalOncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, PortugalSaquinavir was the first protease inhibitor developed for HIV therapy, and it changed the standard of treatment for this disease to a combination of drugs that ultimately led to increased survival of this otherwise deadly condition. Inhibiting the HIV protease impedes the virus from maturing and replicating. With this in mind, since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the research for already approved drugs (mainly antivirals) to repurpose for treatment of this disease has increased. Among the drugs tested, saquinavir showed promise in silico and in vitro in the inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CLpro). Another field for saquinavir repurposing has been in anticancer treatment, in which it has shown effects in vitro and in vivo in several types of cancer, from Kaposi carcinoma to neuroblastoma, demonstrating cytotoxicity, apoptosis, inhibition of cell invasion, and improvement of radiosensibility of cancer cells. Despite the lack of follow-up in clinical trials for cancer use, there has been a renewed interest in this drug recently due to COVID-19, which shows similar pharmacological pathways and has developed superior in silico models that can be translated to oncologic research. This could help further testing and future approval of saquinavir repurposing for cancer treatment.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/12/7/944saquinavirdrug repurposingHIVCOVID-19cancer |
| spellingShingle | Mariana Pereira Nuno Vale Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment Biomolecules saquinavir drug repurposing HIV COVID-19 cancer |
| title | Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment |
| title_full | Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment |
| title_fullStr | Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment |
| title_short | Saquinavir: From HIV to COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment |
| title_sort | saquinavir from hiv to covid 19 and cancer treatment |
| topic | saquinavir drug repurposing HIV COVID-19 cancer |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/12/7/944 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marianapereira saquinavirfromhivtocovid19andcancertreatment AT nunovale saquinavirfromhivtocovid19andcancertreatment |