Abstract
Background: The SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemics and has triggered a global health crisis, prompting an urgent search for effective therapeutic agents.
Objective: This review provides a comprehensive analysis of synthetic, natural and repurposed compounds that have been investigated for their ability to suppress SARS-CoV-2.
Methods: In this review, a wide range of compounds are explored, including newly designed synthetic derivatives, bioactive natural products, and repurposed drugs, with a focus on their chemical structures, structure‒activity relationships (SAR), and antiviral mechanisms.
Results: Many synthetic heterocyclic derivatives and natural compounds have been discussed for their antiviral potential, with an emphasis on their diverse structures and ability to modulate key viral processes such as protease inhibition, viral entry blockage, and immune modulation.
Conclusion: Repurposed drugs such as favipiravir, remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine are discussed, highlighting their structural features and molecular targets, such as viral RNA polymerase and host cell entry mechanisms.In 2025, the world is still struggling to investigate and find safer and more efficient therapeutic drugs or therapies to cure COVID-19 effectively. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing new antiviral agents and suggest that both synthetic and natural compounds can hold significant promise for future pandemic situations, with further in-depth research in this area.