The Sound of Evolution
Raltegravir
Mechanism of action:
Raltegravir is an HIV integrase strand transfer inhibitor. After reverse transcription, HIV produces double-stranded DNA, and integrase inserts this DNA into the host chromosome so that the virus can proceed with subsequent transcription and replication. Raltegravir selectively binds to the active site of integrase and blocks the strand transfer reaction between viral DNA and host DNA.
Reference(s):
1. Nachman S et al. (2014). Pharmacokinetics, safety, and 48-week efficacy of oral raltegravir in HIV-1-infected children aged 2 through 18 years. Clin Infect Dis.
2. Barau C et al. (2013). Characterization of binding of raltegravir to plasma proteins. Antimicrob Agents Chemother.
3. Arora R et al. (2013). Raltegravir flexibility and its impact on recognition by the HIV-1 IN targets. J Mol Recognit.