HIV protease inhibitors based on bicyclic guanidinium subunit synthesized.

2003 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel class of HIV protease inhibitors has been developed.

In a recent study from Spain, "Original inhibitors of HIV-1 protease based on a chiral bicyclic guanidinium scaffold linked to short peptidic mimics of the terminal protease sequences and to a lipophilic group were designed."

"These inhibitors prevent dimerization of the native protease by an interfacial structure at the highly conserved antiparallel beta-strand involving both the N and C termini that substantially account for dimerization," P. Breccia and coauthors at the Autonomous University of Madrid explained. "The preorganized guanidinium spacer …