Zika virus entry inhibitors.

Viral entry step involves of complex host-virus interactions. Research progress of viral entry inhibitors lags significantly behind that of viral replication inhibitors targeting viral non-structural proteins. Here we take Zika virus (ZIKV), a neglected flavivirus currently lacking effective therapeutic drugs, as an example of enveloped RNA viruses to present the research progress of viral entry inhibitors. The viral entry step is roughly divided into three major stages to facilitate the classified review of ZIKV entry inhibitors. Meanwhile, some inhibitors that have been proven to act on virus entry step through time-of-addition experiments but lack detailed mechanism characterization are also included. This review provides an overview of diverse chemotypes of small molecular entry inhibitors. The goal of this review is to promote research interests on ZIKV as well as to elicit the potential of viral entry inhibitors in antiviral therapy.