Abstract
There are a number of virus-specific processes within the virus replicative cycle or virus-infected cell that have proven to be attractive targets for chemotherapeutic intervention, i.e., virus adsorption and entry into the cells, reverse (RNA → DNA) transcription, viral DNA polymerization, and cellular enzymatic reactions that are associated with viral DNA and RNA synthesis and viral mRNA maturation (i.e., methylation). A variety of chemotherapeutic agents, both nucleoside (and nucleotide) and non-nucleoside entities, have been identified that specifically interact with these viral targets, that selectively inhibit virus replication, and that are either used or considered for clinical use in the treatment of virus infections in humans. Their indications encompass virtually all major human viral pathogens, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), human papilloma virus (HPV), orthomyxoviruses (influenza A and B), paramyxoviruses [e.g., respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)] and hemorrhagic fever viruses (such as Ebola virus).
Footnotes
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Send reprint requests to: Prof. E. De Clercq, Rega Institute for Medical Research, K. U. Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. E-mail:erik.declercq{at}rega.kuleuven.ac.be
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Prof. Erik De Clercq holds the Professor P. De Somer Chair of Microbiology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven School of Medicine.
- Abbreviations:
- HIV
- human immunodeficiency virus
- HBV
- hepatitis B virus
- HSV
- herpes simplex virus
- VZV
- varicella-zoster virus
- CMV
- cytomegalovirus
- HPV
- human papilloma virus
- RSV
- respiratory syncytial virus
- HCV
- hepatitis C virus
- IMP
- inosine 5′-monophosphate
- SAH
- S-adenosylhomocysteine
- RT
- reverse transcriptase
- NRTI
- nucleoside (type of) reverse transcriptase inhibitor
- NNRTI
- non-nucleoside (type of) reverse transcriptase inhibitor
- PVAS
- polyvinylalcohol sulfate
- PVS
- polyvinylsulfonate
- TM
- transmembrane
- M-tropic
- macrophage tropic
- T-tropic
- T-cell tropic
- AIDS
- acquired immune deficiency syndrome
- FIV
- feline immunodeficiency virus
- SIV
- simian immunodeficiency virus
- dNTP
- deoxynucleoside-5′-triphosphate
- ddN
- 2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside
- d4T
- didehydrodideoxythymidine
- 3TC
- 3′-thiadideoxycytidine
- DAPD
- 2,6-diaminopurine dioxolane
- AZT
- azidothymidine
- NDP
- nucleoside 5′-diphosphate
- MP
- monophosphate
- TP
- triphosphate
- HEPT
- 1-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)-6-(phenylthio)thymine
- TIBO
- tetrahydroimidazo-[4,5,1-jk][1,4]benzodiazepin-2(1H)-one and -thione
- BVDU
- brivudin
- TK
- thymidine kinase
- EICAR
- 5-ethynyl-1-β-d-ribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide
- SAM
- S-adenosylmethionine
- ddI
- dideoxyinosine
- ddC
- dideoxycytidine
- ABC
- abacavir
- (−)-FTC
- emtricitabine
- (S)-DHPA
- (S)-9-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)adenine
- Received February 2, 2000.
- Accepted February 5, 2000.
- The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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