Overview
Protease inhibitor therapy is a class of antiretroviral treatment that suppresses replication of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by blocking the viral protease enzyme. HIV protease cleaves large precursor polyproteins into the functional structural proteins and enzymes required to assemble mature, infectious virus particles. By binding the active site of this enzyme, protease inhibitors prevent that processing step, so newly produced virions remain immature and non-infectious, reducing viral load and helping to preserve immune function. These agents are rarely used alone; they form one pillar of combination antiretroviral therapy, given alongside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and other drug classes to attack the viral life cycle at multiple points and limit the emergence of resistance. Clinical research surrounding protease inhibitor therapy addresses HIV drug resistance and the genetic mutations that reduce susceptibility, regimen selection and adherence, adverse drug reactions, and treatment outcomes across diverse patient populations including children, adolescents, and adults in varied healthcare settings. Computational and molecular studies further explore inhibitor binding and the search for new protease-targeting compounds, including investigations of natural products through docking analyses. As a cornerstone of effective HIV management, protease inhibitor therapy contributes to durable viral suppression, prevention of disease progression, and reduced transmission when integrated into well-monitored combination regimens.
Research published in this journal
10 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
Phytochemicals May Arrest HIV-1 Progression
Docking Studies of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase and HIV-1 Protease with Phytocompounds of Carissa Carandas L.
Pattern of Use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Regimens and Pattern of Occurrence of Adverse Drug Reactions in an Indian Human Immunodeficiency Virus Positive Patients
Dual Choice for Dual Target Anti-HIV Therapy
Nucleoside and Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Induce Aging by Inhibiting Telomerase Function
High Rate of Asymptomatic Myocardial Ischemia in HIV Infected Population in Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso
Demographics, Clinical Profile and Outcome among the HIV Infected Persons Hospitalized in the HAART Era in Barbados.
When and How Should we be Measuring Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Limited Settings?
How this research is being cited
The 10 articles above have been cited 21 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
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2025 · The Natural Products Journal
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2023 · International Journal of Health Promotion and Education
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2022 · Bioinformatics and Biology Insights
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2022 · Bioinformatics and Biology Insights
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2022 · Journal of Human Virology & Retrovirology
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2021 · Journal of the International AIDS Society
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2021 · Springer eBooks
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O. Oluwole et al. · 2021 · Antioxidants in Plant-Microbe Interaction
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Protease Inhibitor Therapy, linking to each citing work.