Research progress on small molecule inhibitors of coronaviruses

Coronavirus infection seriously threatens human health. There is no specific medication or vaccine so far. In recent years, domestic and foreign researchers have developed a variety of small-molecule inhibitors against the ligand S protein, RdRp, PLpro and 3CLpro of three highly pathogenic coronavirus, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2. This article reviews the characteristics of these coronaviruses, action targets, small molecule inhibitors, and structure-activity relationships.