Antiviral Agents And Their Mechanism Of Action By Dr Onu

Question 1

What are viruses?

Answer 1

They’re obligate intracellular disease causing organism that use the host cells to replicate

Question 2

How do virus hijack the infected cell

Answer 2

1) By integrating themselves in the cell DNA

2) expressing their glycoprotein on the surface of the cell;(Hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, matrix )

Question 3

What’s the criteria when choosing a drug that will inhibit a virus?

Answer 3

The drug has to be selectively toxic to inhibit the virus without adversely affecting the host cell

Question 4

Antiviral targets are 6 in number, name them.

Answer 4

Inhibition of:
1) Adsorption and entry
2)Uncoating of virus cell.
3) Replication
4) protein synthesis
5) Assembly
6) Release.

Question 5

Inhibitors of virus entry and attachments targets which macromolecules?

Answer 5

Host receptors.
Coreceptors.
Spike proteins (virus)

Question 6

Give an example of fusion inhibitors and their site of action

Answer 6

Maraviroc : binds to CCR5 host receptor and inhibit the binding of gp-120 as in HIV

Enfuviritide: binds to the gp-41 of viral cell and prevent it’s binding to host cell

Question 7

Which type of virus do membrane infusion inhibitors affect?

Answer 7

Enveloped virus

Question 8

Example of Uncoating inhibitor?

Answer 8

Amantadine…Used in Influenza A and Parkinsonism

Question 9

What’s the mechanism of action of Uncoating inhibitor

Answer 9

They bind to the M2 ion channel and prevent the ACIDIFICATION, DISSOCIATION and UNCOATING of viral endosome into the host cytoplasm