On the Sensitivity of the Virion Envelope to Lipid Peroxidation

Abstract

Small molecules that induce lipoperoxidation have been proposed repeatedly as potential antiviral drugs based on a presumed unique sensitivity of virions to this type of damage. Several small molecules that inactivate virions without affecting cells have been proposed to act primarily by inducing lipoperoxidation.

Antiviral activity of singlet oxygen-photogenerating perylene compounds against SARS-CoV-2: Interaction with the viral envelope and photodynamic virion inactivation

“…Since membranes are a highly evolutionarily conserved structural element for all enveloped viruses, and because membranes are not linked to the viral genomes through the replication-transcription-translation machinery, RAFIs have the potential to be broad-spectrum antiviral agents with an extremely high resistance barrier ( St.Vincent et al., 2010 ). Targeting the viral lipid membrane is an important recent trend in the development of antivirals and vaccines ( Correa Sierra and Schang, 2022 ; Park and Cho, 2023 ; Sardar et al., 2022 ). Although both suggested mechanisms involve the inhibition of virion-cell fusion, the name RAFI emphasizes the molecule's geometric shape and polarity, not the presence of a photosensitizing chromophore.…”