Research Area: Infection
Biological Activity:
Acyclovir is a synthetic nucleoside analogue active against herpesviruses. It is a guanosine analogue antiviral drug. Aciclovir differs from previous nucleoside analogues in that it contains only a partial nucleoside structure: the sugar ring is replaced by an open-chain structure. It is selectively converted into acyclo-guanosine monophosphate (acyclo-GMP) by viral thymidine kinase, which is far more effective (3000 times) in phosphorylation than cellular thymidine kinase. [1]