| NNRTI Action NNRTI drugs attach themselves to the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase, blocking its mechanism and making it unable to produce viral DNA. Once HIV has invaded a human cell it uses an enzyme, reverse transcriptase, to convert its genetic code to a form that can be incorporated into the host's DNA. Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) become attached to the reverse transcriptase at a favourable site. Once attached the NNRTI affects the activity of the enzyme, by restricting its mobility at a critical point and making it unable to function. The enzyme is now incapable of interacting properly with the viral RNA to produce viral DNA. Viral DNA production is suppressed though the virus is not killed. |
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