HIV coreceptor CXCR4 antagonists.
OBJECTIVE
Increases in HIV resistance towards approved antiviral drugs have made it necessary to develop new and potent antiviral drugs with preferably a novel mode of action.


RESULTS
Entry inhibitors constitute a new class of drugs to treat infection by HIV-1. The first member of this class, enfuvirtide, previously known as T-20 and targeting gp41, has now been licensed for therapeutic use. Several other classes of entry inhibitors are in various stages of preclinical or clinical development.


CONCLUSIONS
In this review we focus on the chemokine receptor inhibitors targeting CXCR4, which is one of the main HIV coreceptors, besides CCR5, for viral entry.
Schols
Dominique
D
Rega Institute for Medical Research, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. dominique.schols@rega.kuleuven.be