Generally, viral proteins or host cell proteins that are essential
to any step of viral infection, from HSV attachment to the host
cell to the release of newly synthesized virions, have the potential
to be valuable drug targets. However, because of the complex life
cycle of HSV, there are only a few classes of drugs licensed for
the treatment of HSV infections, all of which target viral DNA
replication. Table 1 lists the available anti-HSV drugs, among
which ACV has been considered the ‘‘gold standard’’ in HSV
therapy since it was found to have strong anti-HSV activity in
the 1970s.8 ACV and its analogs are effective and selective
inhibitors of HSV replication.