Fusion inhibitors

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Fusion Inhibitors

Fusion inhibitors (pronunciation: fyoo-zhun in-hib-it-ors) are a class of antiretroviral drugs that prevent the HIV virus from entering human cells. They work by blocking the virus's ability to fuse with the cell's membrane, hence the name 'fusion inhibitors'.

Etymology

The term 'fusion inhibitors' is derived from the English words 'fusion', meaning the process of joining two or more things together, and 'inhibitor', which refers to a substance that slows down or prevents a particular chemical reaction or other process.

Mechanism of Action

Fusion inhibitors work by binding to the gp41 protein on the surface of the HIV virus. This prevents the virus from undergoing the necessary conformational changes to fuse with the host cell's membrane. As a result, the virus is unable to enter the cell and infect it.

Examples

One of the most well-known fusion inhibitors is Enfuvirtide (also known as T-20). It was the first fusion inhibitor to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in combination with other antiretroviral drugs in the treatment of HIV.

Related Terms

See Also

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