Entry Inhibitors of Hepatitis B and D Viruses.

Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) cause acute and chronic infections. The latter poses a serious public health threat as it is the major cause of chronic hepatitis, liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In nature, HBV and HDV have a narrow host range and highly hepatotropic, only infecting the hepatocytes of humans and a few primates. The elucidation of cell entry mechanism by HBV has made great progress in recent years, which strongly promotes the establishment of new HBV infection models and the development of viral entry inhibitors. The study of HBV entry inhibitors has culminated in the first direct antiviral treatment for HDV. This review provides a concise introduction on the progress of HBV/HDV entry inhibitors in the recent years.