P2RX7 and Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Furthermore, we tested Zidovudnine (Azidothymidine, AZT), one of the mainstay NRTI therapeutics in HIV prevention and treatment, for its anti-P2RX7 properties in dystrophic muscle cells in vitro and for its efficacy in alleviating the pathology in the mouse model of DMD in vivo.