Portmanteau inhibitor
Encyclopedia
A portmanteau inhibitor is a drug
that is a combination of two drug molecules, each of which is itself a type of inhibitor
. The term was coined in 2007 by University of Minnesota researchers who designed and synthesized a combination HIV
reverse transcriptase inhibitor
and an integrase inhibitor
.
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
that is a combination of two drug molecules, each of which is itself a type of inhibitor
Enzyme inhibitor
An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to enzymes and decreases their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. They are also used as herbicides and pesticides...
. The term was coined in 2007 by University of Minnesota researchers who designed and synthesized a combination HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
reverse transcriptase inhibitor
Reverse transcriptase inhibitor
Reverse-transcriptase inhibitors are a class of antiretroviral drug used to treat HIV infection, tumors, and cancer. RTIs inhibit activity of reverse transcriptase, a viral DNA polymerase enzyme that retroviruses need to reproduce.-Mechanism:...
and an integrase inhibitor
Integrase inhibitor
Integrase inhibitors are a class of antiretroviral drug designed to block the action of integrase, a viral enzyme that inserts the viral genome into the DNA of the host cell. Since integration is a vital step in retroviral replication, blocking it can halt further spread of the virus...
.