What kind of compound is acyclovir?

Acyclovir is a synthetic analog of the purine nucleoside, guanosine, with potent antiviral activity against herpes simplex viruses type 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus and other viruses of the herpesvirus family.

Is acyclovir an amine or amide?

Acyclovir is a nucleoside analog that inhibits the action of viral DNA polymerase and DNA replication of different herpesvirus.

What ingredients are in acyclovir?

The active substance is Aciclovir. Each tablet contains 400 mg of Aciclovir. The other ingredients are: Magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycollate, pregelatinised starch and colloidal anhydrous silica.

What is the mechanism of action of acyclovir?

Mechanism of Action: Acyclovir is converted to its triphosphate form, acyclovir triphosphate (ACV-TP), which competitively inhibits viral DNA polymerase, incorporates into and terminates the growing viral DNA chain, and inactivates the viral DNA polymerase.

Why acyclovir is a prodrug?

This prodrug provides the opportunity to design regimes that are more convenient for the patient and may be more effective than acyclovir itself in the therapy of the less sensitive herpes viruses (e.g. Epstein-Barr virus and the Cytomegalovirus).

What is the pH of acyclovir?

Reconstitution of the 500-mg or 1,000-mg vials with 10 mL or 20 mL, respectively, of Sterile Water for Injection, USP results in a solution containing 50 mg/mL of acyclovir. The pH of the reconstituted solution is approximately 11.

Is acyclovir acidic or basic?

As acyclovir is amphoteric, both acidic and basic approaches have been utilized for salt formation, (22) and acyclovir salts derived from metal cations (e.g., sodium or lithium (22)) or some pharmaceutically acceptable anions (e.g., nitrate, (23) arylsulfonates, (24) or maleate (21)) have been well investigated.

What is another name for acyclovir?

Acyclovir (Zovirax) is an antiviral medication used for the treatment of herpes, shingles, and chickenpox. It comes in many different formulations including a capsule, oral and buccal tablet, and topical cream or ointment.

What is valacyclovir made of?

The chemical name of valacyclovir hydrochloride is L-valine, 2-[(2-amino-1,6-dihydro-6-oxo- 9H-purin-9-yl)methoxy]ethyl ester, monohydrochloride. It has the following structural formula: Valacyclovir hydrochloride is a white to off-white powder with the molecular formula C13H20N6O4•HCl and a molecular weight of 360.80.

What activates acyclovir?

Acyclovir, similar to all other nucleoside analogs, must be activated by addition of a phosphate group (phosphorylation) before it can inhibit the synthesis of viral DNA (HSV and VZV are DNA viruses).

Why is acyclovir selectively toxic?

Further selective toxicity is derived from the fact that acyclovir triphosphate is selectively taken up by viral α-DNA polymerases because its structure resembles that of the essential DNA precursor, 2′-deoxyguanosine triphosphate.

Is acyclovir soluble in water?

According to different Pharmacopoeias, acyclovir is “slightly solubility in water” at 22-25 °C and solubility ranges from 1.2 to 1.6 mg/mL. The solubility of the drug varies slightly with pH and lowest solubility of 2.3mg/mL reported at pH 5.8 at 37 °C (Luengo et al., 2002, Susantakumar, Gaur, Sharma, 2011).