HIV-1 stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and it causes the immune system to fail and creates a place for infections and cancers to thrive due to the lack of security in the immune system. HIV-1 protease is a protease enzyme which cleaves viral polyprotein precursors in the functional proteins that are in the infectious HIV-1. Saquinavir mimics the proteins that are cut by HIV protease therefore blocking maturation of the virus. It inhibits the viral HIV protease enzyme preventing cleavage of the gag-po polyprotein which then causes immature viral molecules that can no longer carry out their function and are not infectious anymore. The hydroxyl group of the inhibitor interacts with the carboxyl group of the HIV-1 protease active site Asp 25 and Asp25’ via hydrogen bonding between the two.
Comments