HIV Medications

Question 1

How does HIV infect humans? (7 steps)

Answer 1

1. HIV fuses to CD4 T Lymphocyte, 2. Penetration & uncoating, 3. Reverse transcriptase facilitates single stranded RNA’s transition to double stranded DNA, 4. Integrase facilitates viral DNA being incorporated into human DNA, 5. New viral RNA makes proteins, 6. Protease matures proteins, 7. Viral proteins / RNA leaves cell and infects other cells

Question 2

MOA for Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs):

Answer 2

Indirectly inhibit reverse transcription; Viral nucleotide analogs are incorporated into viral DNA and inhibit growth of viral DNA chains during replication; these nucleotide analogs lack a 3’ end and so are chain terminators–viral DNA cannot grow

Question 3

Major side effects of NRTIs:

Answer 3

Fatal liver toxicity, pancreatitis, peripheral neuropathy

Question 4

Protease Inhibitors MOA

Answer 4

Protease matures viral proteins; if it is inhibited, they cannot mature and the proteins are not infectious

Question 5

Side Effect of Protease Inhibitors:

Answer 5

Elevated serum cholesterol & triglycerides, fat redistribution (from extremities & accumulating in neck, back, or abdomen)

Question 6

Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs):

Answer 6

Binds to viral reverse transcriptase and causes conformational changes that inhibit it.

Question 7

Major side effect of NNRTIs:

Answer 7

Hypersensitivity reactions like rashes

Question 8

Entry Inhibitors MOA:

Answer 8

Prevent HIV virus from fusing with & entering the host cell; achieves this by causing conformational changes to glycoprotein on viral cell membrane