A class of antiretroviral medications known as HIV entry inhibitors focuses on the early phases of the HIV life cycle, specifically blocking the virus's ability to infect human cells. By preventing the virus from infecting and multiplying within the body, this treatment strategy is essential for treating HIV infection. HIV entry inhibitors function by obstructing the communication between the virus and cellular receptors found on the surface of macrophages and CD4 T cells, two types of human immune cells. A number of procedures are involved in the entry process, such as attachment, fusion, and host cell entry. HIV cannot enter vulnerable cells because entry inhibitors mainly target viral proteins involved in attachment and fusion. Fusion inhibitors are a well-known type of HIV entry inhibitors that prevent the viral envelope from fusing with the host cell membrane. Fuzeon, a brand name for enfuvirtide, is the first fusion inhibitor to receive FDA approval. It functions by attaching itself to the viral protein gp41 and stopping it from changing conformation, which is required for fusion with the membrane of the host cell. Efficaciously blocking this crucial phase, enfuvirtide stops HIV from entering CD4 cells.By obstructing the interaction between the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120 and the CD4 receptor on the surface of immune cells, another class of HIV entry inhibitors targets the viral attachment process. Maraviroc, also known as Selzentry, is a CCR5 antagonist that works by specifically blocking CD4 cell's CCR5 co-receptor. Maraviroc stops HIV from attaching to and invading these cells in this way. It works very well against HIV strains that enter cells through the CCR5 co-receptor.Furthermore, novel classes of entrance inhibitors, like broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), are being studied. These antibodies neutralize different strains of HIV by focusing on different epitopes on the glycoproteins that make up the viral envelope. Therapeutic applications for certain bNAbs are being investigated, either as stand-alone therapies or in conjunction with other antiretroviral medications.HIV entry inhibitors are effective treatments, but they have drawbacks such drug resistance and the requirement for parenteral administration (for enfuvirtide, for example). medication resistance can result from changes in the cellular receptors that these inhibitors target or in the viral envelope proteins, making combination therapy necessary to minimize treatment efficacy and prevent resistance. To sum up, HIV entry inhibitors are a significant class of antiretroviral medications that interfere with the early phases of the HIV life cycle. HIV entrance and replication are efficiently inhibited by these medications through preventing viral attachment or fusion with host cells. For the management of HIV infection to improve treatment results and overcome obstacles such medication resistance, more research into new entry inhibitors and combination medicines is necessary.
