The maturation inhibitors are a class of antiviral drugs for the treatment of infection with
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
. They act by interfering with the maturation of the virus. Specifically, drugs in this class disrupt the final step in the processing of the HIV-1
''gag'' protein, the cleavage of its immediate precursor by the enzyme
HIV-1 protease
HIV-1 protease or PR is a retroviral aspartyl protease (retropepsin), an enzyme involved with peptide bond hydrolysis in retroviruses, that is essential for the life-cycle of HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS. HIV-1 PR cleaves newly synthesized ...
. Unlike the class of drugs known as
protease inhibitors
Protease inhibitors (PIs) are medications that act by interfering with protease, enzymes that cleave proteins. Some of the most well known are antiviral drugs widely used to treat HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and COVID-19. These protease inhibitors pre ...
, maturation inhibitors bind the ''gag'' protein, not the protease. This leads to the formation of noninfectious, immature virus particles, incapable of infecting other cells. No other class of drugs shares this mechanism of action, thus maturation inhibitors retain inhibitory activity against HIV infections with resistance.
There are no currently available drugs from the class; however several clinical trials have been conducted. The first maturation inhibitor to be studied in humans was
bevirimat,
[ ] another was MPC-9055 (vivecon). Both were developed by
Myriad Genetics, which has discontinued the maturation inhibitor program in 2010.
Others in development include BMS-2838232.
References
Maturation inhibitors
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