Azidothymidine (AZT) is an antiviral drug used for the treatment of the Human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV/AIDS) by preventing the transmission of HIV from infected cells. AZT is capable of suppressing the activity of the enzyme reverse transcriptase of the retroviral HIV genome, which enables it to copy RNA into DNA. In infected cells, this double-stranded DNA is integrated into the host genome which is then instructed to produce identical HIV copies. AZT is a thymidine analog that is incorporated into DNA and thus interferes with DNA synthesis, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation.
