Antiviral Activity Spectrum of Nucleoside and Nucleotide Analogues

Molecular approaches for the treatment of hemorrhagic fever virus infections

Viruses causing hemorrhagic fevers in man belong to the following virus groups: togavirus (Chikungunya), flavivirus (dengue, yellow fever, Kyasanur Forest disease, Omsk hemorrhagic fever), arenavirus (Argentinian hemorrhagic fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever), filovirus (Ebola, Marburg), phlebovirus (Rift Valley fever), nairovirus (Crimian-Congo hemorrhagic fever) and hantavirus (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, nephropathic epidemia). Hemorrhagic fever virus infections can be approached by different therapeutic strategies: (i) vaccination; (ii) administration of high-titered antibodies; and (iii) treatment with antiviral drugs. Depending on the molecular target of their interaction, antiviral agents could be classified as follows: IMP dehydrogenase inhibitors (i.e., ribavirin and its derivatives); OMP decarboxylase inhibitors (i.e., pyrazofurin); CTP synthetase inhibitors (i.e., cyclopentylcytosine and cyclopentenylcytosine); SAH hydrolase inhibitors (i.e., neplanocin A); polyanionic substances (i.e., sulfated polymers); interferon and immunomodulators.

Activity of several S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase inhibitors against African swine fever virus replication in Vero cells

Several inhibitors of S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase have been found to selectively suppress the replication of African swine fever virus (ASFV) in Vero cells. Of the compounds tested, 3-deazaneplanocin A proved to be the most potent and selective inhibitor of ASFV replication. Its selectivity index (SI) was 3000. Then followed 9-(trans-2',trans-3'-dihydroxycyclopentyl)-3- deazaadenine (SI = 2500), the 4'beta-vinyl derivative of 9-(trans-2',trans-3'-dihydroxycyclopentyl)adenine (SI = 2000), 6'beta-fluoroaristeromycin (SI = 1250), 4',5'-unsaturated 5'-fluoroadenosine (MDL 28842) and 9-(trans-2',trans-3'-dihydroxycyclopentyl)adenine (SI = 667), 9-(trans-2',trans-3'-dihydroxycyclopent-4'-enyl)adenine and the 4 beta-methyl derivative of 9-(trans-2',trans-3'- dihydroxycyclopentyl)adenine (SI = 400), 9-(trans-2',trans-3'-dihydroxycyclopent-4'-enyl)-3-deazaadenine (SI = 200). We postulate that the mechanism of anti-ASFV action of these compounds is based on the inhibition of AdoHcy hydrolase, thus resulting in the accumulation of AdoHcy and suppression of methylation reactions needed for viral mRNA maturation.

Antiviral agents: characteristic activity spectrum depending on the molecular target with which they interact

The target protein (enzyme) with which antiviral agents interact determines their antiviral activity spectrum. Based on their activity spectrum, antiviral compounds could be divided into the following classes: (1) sulfated polysaccharides (i.e., dextran sulfate), which interact with the viral envelope glycoproteins and are inhibitory to a broad variety of enveloped viruses (i.e., retro-, herpes-, rhabdo-, and arenaviruses): (2) SAH hydrolase inhibitors (i.e., neplanocin A derivatives), which are particularly effective against poxvirus, (-)RNA viruses (paramyxovirus, rhabdovirus), and (+/-)RNA virus (reovirus); (3) OMP decarboxylase inhibitors (i.e., pyrazofurin) and CTP synthetase inhibitors (i.e., cyclopentenylcytosine), which are active against a broad range of DNA, (+)RNA, (-)RNA, and (+/-)RNA viruses; (4) IMP dehydrogenase inhibitors (i.e., ribavirin), which are also active against various (+)RNA and (-)RNA viruses and, in particular, ortho- and paramyxoviruses; (5) acyclic guanosine analogs (i.e., ganciclovir) and carbocyclic guanosine analogs (i.e., cyclobut-G), which are particularly active against herpesviruses (i.e., HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, CMV); (6) thymidine analogs (i.e., BVDU, BVaraU), which are specifically active against HSV-1 and VZV because of their preferential phosphorylation by the virus-encoded thymidine kinase; (7) acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (i.e., HPMPA, HPMPC, PMEA, FPMPA), which, depending on the structure of the acyclic side chain, span an activity spectrum from DNA viruses (papova-, adeno-, herpes-, hepadna-, and poxvirus) to retroviruses (HIV); (8) dideoxynucleoside analogs (i.e., AZT, DDC), which act as chain terminators in the reverse transcriptase reaction and thus block the replication of retroviruses as well as hepadnaviruses; and (9) the TIBO, HEPT, and other TIBO-like compounds, which interact specifically with the reverse transcriptase of HIV-1 and thus block the replication of HIV-1, but not of HIV-2 or any other retrovirus.

Chemotherapy of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS): acyclic nucleoside phosphonate analogues

The acyclic nucleoside phosphonate analogues (HPMPA, HPMPC, PMEA, FPMPA) show great promise for the treatment of infections with such important human pathogens as adeno, pox (vaccinia) and hepadna (hepatitis B) viruses (HPMPA), herpes (herpes simplex, varicella-zoster, cytomegalo, Epstein-Barr) viruses (HPMPC), and retro (human immunodeficiency) viruses (PMEA, FPMPA). All these compounds seem to be targeted at the viral DNA polymerase, with which they interact, as either competitive inhibitors or alternative substrates (or chain terminators), following their intracellular phosphorylation to the diphosphoryl derivatives. Of particular interest is the prolonged anti-viral action, lasting for several days or even weeks, that has been noted both in vitro and in vivo after a single administration of the acyclic nucleoside phosphonates.