Areplivir, the antiviral to combat coronavirus
The notion of antiviral refers to a drug that, due to its properties, is used to fight a virus . The term is used synonymously with antiviral .
Treat viral infections
A viral infection can therefore be treated with an antiviral. It is important to keep in mind that each type of virus must be fought with the appropriate antiviral.
Antivirals generally do not cause harm to the host . In this way, the use of antivirals offers a certain degree of safety , although there are exceptions.
genetics
The development of genetics allowed the emergence of antivirals. By knowing the molecular functioning of viruses, scientists were able to understand their structure and discovered, in many cases, how to deactivate it.
To create the first antivirals, trial and error tests were carried out: cell populations were cultured and infected with a specific virus and then chemicals were introduced to study their effect. When it became possible to describe genetic sequences , we began to know what particular molecules were needed to attack the viral structure.
Development strategy
Since the beginning of the development of these substances, scientists dedicated to the design of antivirals have tested different strategies to effectively attack viruses in each of the phases of their flu life . These are not always the same, since they vary according to the species, but it is possible to recognize a common pattern for all, which we will see briefly below:
* the virus releases its genes and, in some cases, its enzymes into the cell it is invading;
* begins to replicate its components using the cellular machinery of its host;
* assembles the components into particles that can be considered complete at the viral level;
* releases these particles to infect other cells, and thus return to the first phase.
As you can imagine, there is no more appropriate time to attack the virus than in its first phase . In fact, through vaccination, medicine has managed to do the same thing. In the past, vaccines included weakened or lifeless versions of the pathogen they fought; However, in recent times they have begun to be designed with their proteins. Its action consists of stimulating our defenses without causing serious damage, with the aim of preparing them to react to the true infection as effectively as possible.
Since vaccines are not applicable in most cases where infection has already taken place, the importance of antivirals is considerable. The general idea of these substances is to "trick" the virus, setting a trap for it to block or destroy itself following its natural path. One of the researchers' strategies is to prevent the virus from entering the cell. The phase in which this takes place can be inhibited in two different ways:
* with agents similar to the proteins that are associated with the virus, which act as antibodies or antireceptors, among others;
* with agents similar to the receptor, which have a similar function to the previous ones.
Influenza causes the flu and requires antivirals to cure.
Examples
An example of an antiviral is oseltamivir . This drug, marketed under the name Tazamir or Tamiflu depending on the laboratory, is effective in combating the influenza virus, which causes the flu . Oseltamivir is an antiviral that is administered orally.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ), meanwhile, is treated with the supply of antivirals that attack the human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ). These substances are classified as antiretrovirals , since they allow them to combat retroviruses such as HIV and others.