u-75875 and amprenavir

This review deals with clinical applications of compounds that inhibit the action of the protease encoded within the genome of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The HIV-protease is essential for viral maturation and represents an important therapeutic target in the fight against AIDS. Following a brief overview of the enzyme structure and function, the article focuses on a number of peptide and non-peptide based HIV-protease inhibitors that are in current clinical use. These drugs are discussed both with respect to their efficacy in treatment of AIDS, and to problems related to insurgence of viral resistance and side effects seen to date in patient populations.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Anti-HIV Agents; Binding Sites; Carbamates; Clinical Trials as Topic; Computer-Aided Design; Crystallography, X-Ray; Drug Design; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Drug Therapy, Combination; Furans; HIV Protease; HIV Protease Inhibitors; HIV-1; Humans; Indinavir; Nelfinavir; Oligopeptides; Pyridines; Pyrones; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Ritonavir; Saquinavir; Sulfonamides

The use of molecular field-based similarity approaches for obtaining quality molecular alignments and for identifying field-based patterns in bioactive molecules is described. In addition to pairwise similarities, computation of multimolecule similarities affords a means for determining consensus multimolecule alignments. These multimolecule alignments constitute the basis for developing models for the relative binding of bioactive molecules to common protein-binding sites and for the graphical portrayal of molecular field similarity surface plots that identify, visually, molecular regions possessing similar molecular field characteristics. The latter information can then be exploited in the design of molecules that mimic appropriate characteristics of these highly similar steric and electrostatic domains. Regions with low steric and electrostatic similarity in suitably aligned sets of bioactive molecules represent tolerant domains where new structural motifs can be incorporated without significant reductions in activity. To illustrate the potential applicability of the actual molecular field-based similarity approaches to the design of bioactive molecules, a study on a set of HIV-1 protease inhibitors is presented.

Topics: Carbamates; Computer Graphics; Furans; HIV Protease; HIV Protease Inhibitors; Models, Molecular; Molecular Structure; Oligopeptides; Pattern Recognition, Automated; Sugar Alcohols; Sulfonamides; Valine