Due to the global emergence of antibiotic resistance, there has been an increase in research surrounding endolysins as an alternative therapeutic. Endolysins are phage-encoded enzymes, utilized by mature phage virions to hydrolyze the cell wall from within. There is significant evidence that proves the ability of endolysins to degrade the peptidoglycan externally without the assistance of phage. Thus, their incorporation in therapeutic strategies has opened new options for therapeutic application against bacterial infections in the human and veterinary sectors, as well as within the agricultural and biotechnology sectors. While endolysins show promising results within the laboratory, it is important to document their resistance, safety, and immunogenicity for in-vivo application. This review aims to provide new insights into the synergy between endolysins and antibiotics, as well as the formulation of endolysins. Thus, it provides crucial information for clinical trials involving endolysins.
Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect both humans and animals. In humans, CoVs can cause respiratory, kidney, heart, brain, and intestinal infections that can range from mild to lethal. Since the start of the 21st century, three β‐coronaviruses have crossed the species barrier to infect humans: severe‐acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)‐CoV‐1, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)‐CoV, and SARS‐CoV‐2 (2019‐nCoV). These viruses are dangerous and can easily be transmitted from human to human. Therefore, the development of anticoronaviral therapies is urgently needed. However, to date, no approved vaccines or drugs against CoV infections are available. In this review, we focus on the medicinal chemistry efforts toward the development of antiviral agents against SARS‐CoV‐1, MERS‐CoV, SARS‐CoV‐2, targeting biochemical events important for viral replication and its life cycle. These targets include the spike glycoprotein and its host‐receptors for viral entry, proteases that are essential for cleaving polyproteins to produce functional proteins, and RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase for viral RNA replication.