How AZT prevents replication of dna from HIV?
AZT blongs to a class of compounds called substrate analogs. Here’s how it works: During HIV replication, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase is used to make copies of the viral genome. This enzyme uses nucleotides (The enzyme’s normal substrates) to make new DNA, the same way your cells do during cell division. AZT is a drug that looks very much like a nucleotide. This structural similarity fools the enzyme into using AZT to make viral DNA. AZT, however, is not a nucleotide. and when AZT is incorporated into the new viral DNA, it stops DNA synthesis, and virus replication. Many anti-viral drugs work in this general manner. Another good example is acyclovir, used to treat Herpes virus infections.
