PHARMACOLOGICAL ASPECT OF ANTI HERPETIC DRUGS

In many viral infections, replication of the virus peaks at or before the manifestation of clinical symptoms. Viral replication consist of several steps (Figur 1): (1) attachment of the virus to receptors on the host cell surface; (2) Entry of the virus through the host cell membrane; (3) uncoating of viral nucleic acid; (4) synthesis of early regulatory proteins, eg, nucleic acid polymerases; (5) synthesis of new viral RNA and DNA; (6) synthesis of late structural proteins; (7) assembly (maturation) of viral particles; and (8) release from the cell. Antiviral agents can potentially target any of these steps.