Fight Against H1N1 Influenza A Virus: Recent Insights Towards the Development of Druggable Compounds

In this review we discuss drug design strategies directed to the development of potential anti-influenza A(H1N1) inhibitors of M2 ion channel, neuraminidase (NA), hemagglutinin (HA) and RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase complex (RdRp) major targets, following temporal chronology of their findings. Besides searching for new chemotypes, eventually active against new targets of influenza A (H1N1), the design of optimized analogues of proven drugs is largely pursued, taking into account the emerging insight into the mechanisms of resistance to existing antivirals. Computational studies are also summarized, in order to highlight the structural requirements for further chemical optimizations. Keywords: Influenza A(H1N1) virus, drug design, M2 ion channel blockers, HA inhibitors, NA inhibitors, RNA polymerse complex inhibitors.