Anti Aids Drug AZT
Anti Aids Drug AZT: How it Works and HIV Resistance
Name: Jacob Burbank
Student ID: 20456553
TA: Steffie Mendaglio
Anti Aids Drug AZT: How it Works Many viruses around through our environment have the capability to infect and reproduce in humans, sometime quickly being able to spread over a substantial amount of the population. HIV is a retrovirus which advances into AIDS, and it has infected people worldwide, most prevalently in Africa. Retroviruses are able to replicate, and do this by duplicating their genetic information through reverse transcription. With this rise in infected by AIDS in the past 30 year extensive research has been done in the medical field in order to combat this virus. AZT chemical name 3’-azido-3’-deoxythymidine, is an anti AIDS drug which is works by inhibiting the reverse transcription process (Adlam, 2013). The further understanding of how AZT works is crucial in order to find out exactly what it does to our bodies and the virus HIV’s ability to develop resistance to this anti HIV drug. 3’-azido-3’-deoxythymidine has been used as an anti AIDS drugs thought the world and is a part of the group of drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The retrovirus that causes HIV and develops into AIDS does so through a process known as reverse transcription. Reverse transcription is a process used in order to convert RNA into viral DNA, so the virus can replicate itself and spread (Adlam, 2013). Reverse transcription relies on the enzyme reverse transcriptase in order to begin and proceed. AZT blocks the binding of the enzyme reverse transcriptase, if the enzyme cannot bind, the process cannot proceed, and therefore the virus cannot replicate itself and spread (Matthews,2013). This does not kill the virus; however it inhibits it from spreading thought the body. Due to this fact this drug has a very practical application among pregnant women infected with the HIV virus. It can aid in
Name: Jacob Burbank
Student ID: 20456553
TA: Steffie Mendaglio
Anti Aids Drug AZT: How it Works Many viruses around through our environment have the capability to infect and reproduce in humans, sometime quickly being able to spread over a substantial amount of the population. HIV is a retrovirus which advances into AIDS, and it has infected people worldwide, most prevalently in Africa. Retroviruses are able to replicate, and do this by duplicating their genetic information through reverse transcription. With this rise in infected by AIDS in the past 30 year extensive research has been done in the medical field in order to combat this virus. AZT chemical name 3’-azido-3’-deoxythymidine, is an anti AIDS drug which is works by inhibiting the reverse transcription process (Adlam, 2013). The further understanding of how AZT works is crucial in order to find out exactly what it does to our bodies and the virus HIV’s ability to develop resistance to this anti HIV drug. 3’-azido-3’-deoxythymidine has been used as an anti AIDS drugs thought the world and is a part of the group of drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The retrovirus that causes HIV and develops into AIDS does so through a process known as reverse transcription. Reverse transcription is a process used in order to convert RNA into viral DNA, so the virus can replicate itself and spread (Adlam, 2013). Reverse transcription relies on the enzyme reverse transcriptase in order to begin and proceed. AZT blocks the binding of the enzyme reverse transcriptase, if the enzyme cannot bind, the process cannot proceed, and therefore the virus cannot replicate itself and spread (Matthews,2013). This does not kill the virus; however it inhibits it from spreading thought the body. Due to this fact this drug has a very practical application among pregnant women infected with the HIV virus. It can aid in
References: Adlam, P. (n.d.). AZT (zidovudine, Retrovir). HIV & AIDS Information. Retrieved October 24, 2013, from http://www.aidsmap.com/resources/treatmentsdirectory/drugs/AZT-zidovudine-iRetroviri/page/1730919/ Lui, S. (2012). Screening for and Verification of Novel Mutations Associated with Drug Resistance in the HIV Type 1subtype B′ in China. Public Library of Science, 7(11), 1-17. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from the Pubmed database. Matthews, S. (2013). Association of Hematological Profile of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Patients with Clinicoimmunologic Stages of the Disease. Journal of Laboratory Physicians, 5(1), 34-37. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from the Pubmed database.