Targeting Key Stages of the Viral Entry and Life Cycle: A Comprehensive Overview of the Mechanisms of Antiviral Actions.

Antiviral drugs represent diverse compounds that interfere with processes related to the survival and transmission of viruses. The pharmacology of antiviral agents covers a wide range of mechanisms targeting various stages of the viral life cycle. This write-up aims to explain the different mechanisms of antiviral drugs to combat viral infections effectively. For this, key strategies include inhibiting viral entry, replication, assembly, and release. For example, entry inhibitors, such as fusion inhibitors and receptor antagonists, prevent viruses from entering host cells. Integrase inhibitors and nucleoside/nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors block viral replication. On the other hand, protease inhibitors obstruct the posttranslational processing of viral proteins, thus impeding viral assembly. Moreover, newer classes of drugs targeting the virus's release and maturation stages are emerging as potent therapeutic options, offering hope for more effective treatments in the future.