Definition: An artificial copy of a nucleoside. When incorporated into a virus DNA or RNA during viral replication, the nucleoside analog acts to prevent production of new virus. Nucleoside analogs may take the place of natural nucleosides, blocking the completion of a viral DNA chain during infection of a new cell by HIV. The HIV enzyme reverse transcriptase is more likely to incorporate the nucleoside analogs into the DNA it is constructing than is the DNA polymerase normally used for DNA creation in cell nuclei. There are currently ten nucleoside analogs approved for marketing in the United States.
For more on nucleoside analogs, take a look at these HIV medication fact sheets.
Also Known As: "nuke"
