Peptidic Inhibitors of the Hepatitis C Virus Serine Protease within Non- Structural Protein 3

New treatments for HCV (Hepatitis C virus) infections are likely to arise from inhibition of the essential, virally-encoded enzymes. These targets include the serine protease required for processing of the HCV polyprotein. The protease constitutes one functional domain of the bifunctional HCV NS3 (non-structural protein 3). Here, insights regarding the NS3 structure and recently synthesized NS3 inhibitors are reviewed. Interestingly, many NS3 protease inhibitors have taken advantage of an unusual product inhibition by Nterminal products of cleavage at the polyprotein processing sites.