Simeprevir is a direct-acting antiviral agent that inhibits HCV NS3/4A protease to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in adults with HCV genotype 1 or 4. Hepatitis C virus lipoviroparticles enter target hepatocytes via receptor-mediated endocytosis. The lipoviroparticles attach to LDL-R and SR-B1, and then the virus binds to CD81 and subsequently claudin-1 and occludin, which mediate the late steps of viral entry. The virus is internalized by clathrin-dependent endocytosis. RNA is released from the mature Hepatitis C virion and translated at the rough endoplasmic reticulum into a single Genome polyprotein. Simeprevir accumulates in the liver after uptake into hepatocytes via solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B1. Simeprevir inhibits NS3/4A protease, which is an enzyme that cleaves the heptatitis C virus polyprotein downstream of the NS3 proteolytic site, which generates nonstructural proteins NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B. These proteins are required in viral RNA replication, therefore because of the inhibition of their formation, RNA replication cannot occur. Because RNA replication does not occur, the mature virion is unable to form. At higher concentration above their antiviral half-maximal effective concentration (EC50), simeprevir and other NS3/4A inhibitors also restore interferon (IFN)-signaling pathways that are thought to be disrupted by NS3/4A protease and recover innate immune processes. NS3/4A protease cleaves two essential adaptor proteins that initiate signaling leading to activation of IFN regulatory factor 3 and IFN-α/β synthesis, which are mitochondrial antiviral-signaling proteins.

Simeprevir Pathway References