Figure 4.

Structure and viral replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2. According to V’kovski et al. [64], SARS-CoV-2 consists of structural proteins including Spike (S), Membrane (M), Nucleocapsid (N), and, for some beta coronaviruses, hemagglutinin esterase (not shown). The positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) genome is encapsulated by N, while M and E are incorporated into the viral particle during the assembly process. The replication cycle begins with the arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the target cell. The S viral protein binds to its receptor in the cell, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). After receptor binding, the S protein is cleaved by the cell surface serine protease TMPRSS2, forming two subunits, the S1 subunit containing the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the S2 subunit containing the binding peptide to the fusion protein present in the cell membrane, allowing the entry of the virus into the host cell, either through the formation of an endosome or by the fusion of the viral envelope. Following the fusion of the virus and host cell membranes, the uncoating occurs and the release of viral RNA into the cytoplasm to initiate the translation of coterminal polyproteins (pp1a/ab), which carry out the replication of the viral genome. After translation of viral RNA into polyproteins, the major protease (M^pro), a homodimeric cysteine protease, self-cleaves in order to cleave polyproteins into nonstructural proteins (nsps). Several nsp proteins interact with nsp12 (also called RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp)) to form the replicase–transcriptase complex (RTC), which is responsible for the synthesis of the full-length viral genome (replication) and subgenomic RNA (transcription). Viral structural proteins are expressed and transferred to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Genomic RNA encapsulated in protein N is translocated with structural proteins in the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) to form new viral particles. Finally, the new virions are secreted from the infected cell by exocytosis. The red box indicates the potential mechanism of action against SARS-CoV-2 by 1,8-cineole and other monoterpenes present in Eucalyptus essential oils by inhibiting M^pro (binding to the active site), thus inhibiting proteolysis of viral polyproteins necessary for virus replication.