Tenofovir is a selective antiretroviral agent which functions as a HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Studies indicate that Tenofovir shows a low cytotoxicity in human cell types compared to other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
It is known that HIV replicates its double stranded DNA via reverse transcriptase and then the DNA is integrated into the hosts chromosomes. Tenofovir functions by inhibiting the replication of this DNA. Furthermore, studies suggest that Tenofovir prevents cytoxicity in SIV-infected C- 8166 cells in vitro.