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protease inhibitor

 
Medical Encyclopedia: Protease Inhibitors
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Definition

A protease inhibitor is a type of drug that cripples the enzyme protease. An enzyme is a substance that triggers chemical reactions in the body. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses protease in the final stages of its reproduction (replication) process.

Description

Protease inhibitors are considered one of the most potent medications for HIV developed so far.

This class of drugs includes indinavir (Crixivan), ritonavir (Norvir), nelfinavir (Viracept), and saquinavir (Invirase or Fortovase). Several weeks or months of drug therapy may be required before the full benefits are apparent.

The drug should be taken at the same time each day. Some types should be taken with a meal to help the body absorb them. Each of the types of protease inhibitor may have to be taken in a different way.

— Carol A. Turkington


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Dictionary: protease inhibitor
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n.
An anti-HIV drug that blocks the action of the enzyme protease, which is needed for viral replication.


 
Columbia Encyclopedia: protease inhibitor
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protease inhibitor (prō'tē-ās'), any of a class of drugs that interfere with replication of the AIDS virus (HIV), by blocking an enzyme (protease) necessary in the late stages of its reproduction. Clinical trials of the protease inhibitor indinavir have shown it to be especially beneficial in combination with the anti-HIV drugs AZT and 3TC, which act by blocking a different enzyme, reverse transcriptase. Saquinavir, the first member of the class to be marketed, was approved for use in 1995 by the Food and Drug Administration.

Health Dictionary: protease inhibitors
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(proh-tee-ays)

A class of pharmaceuticals used in the treatment of AIDS. It works by blocking the action of a protein that HIV needs to reproduce itself.

  • Protease inhibitors are an example of designer drugs. They sometimes allow AIDS to be managed for long periods of time.

    • Wikipedia: Protease inhibitor (biology)
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    For the drugs used in AIDS, please refer to protease inhibitor (pharmacology).

    In biology and biochemistry, protease inhibitors are molecules that inhibit the function of peptidases (old name: protease, hence the term protease inhibitor). Many naturally occurring protease inhibitors are proteins.

    In medicine, protease inhibitor is often used interchangeably with alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT, which is abbreviated Pi for this reason).[1] A1AT is indeed the protease inhibitor most often involved in disease, namely in alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency.

    Contents

    Classification

    Protease inhibitors may be classified either by the type of protease they inhibit, or by their mechanism of action.

    By protease

    Classes of proteases are:

    By mechanism

    Classes of inhibitor mechanisms of action are:

    Compounds

    External links

    References

    1. ^ OMIM - PROTEASE INHIBITOR 1; PI
    This enzyme-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.


    v • d • e
    Pharmacology: enzyme inhibition
    Class
    Substrate
    Hydrolase (EC 3)
    Lyase (EC 4)

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    Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
    Health Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
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