ABSTRACT
The chapter describes the mechanism of action of the main approved antiviral drugs. It provides a description of the mechanism of action of the various antiviral agents focused on the target they affect on the virus life cycle. viral proteases represented an attractive target for the development of novel antiviral agents, and indeed, compounds that block the enzymes have been approved for human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus infection. Interferon would deserve a special attention being an important mechanism of defense of the organism against viral infections. Viruses generally unsettle lipid flows by three different mechanisms: the translocation and/or regulation of lipid biosynthesis enzymes, the interference with lipid-mediated signaling through the regulation of phosphatidylinositol kinases, and the regulation of lipid trafficking at membrane contact sites between adjacent organelles. Furthermore, it is now clear that antiviral therapy may have a role in preventing infection at individual and community levels by decreasing virus transmission.
