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. 2020 Jul 7;8:365. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00365

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Copyright © 2020 Huang, Chen, Xiao, Luo, Li, Wang, Wang and Wang.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Graphical Abstract — The life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and the mechanism of actions of anti-COVID-19 drugs. The life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 in host cells includes: (1) Binding and penetration: SARS-CoV-2 binds to the ACE2 receptors on the cell membrane and entry into host cells through endocytosis. (2) Genome release: the genome of SARS-CoV-2 will be released following the process of membrane fusion. (3) Genome replication: the positive (+)-sense genomic RNA directs the synthesis of negative (−)-sense RNA, which can act as the template to synthesize the RNA chain of progeny virus. (4) Protein biosynthesis: negative (−)-sense RNA acts as a template, with mRNAs transcribed to direct the protein biosynthesis of SARS-CoV-2 via the translation process in the cytoplasm. (5) Assembly: the genomic RNA and virion proteins are reassembled to form a mature virion. (6) Release: the progeny viral particles are released through exocytosis. The levels of actions of corresponding drugs were also depicted. Remdesivir can inhibit the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The combination of lopinavir/ritonavir can block the maturation of protein. Chloroquine virtually interrupts the whole life cycle of SARS-CoV-2. The antibody within plasma can directly neutralize SARS-CoV-2.