acyclovir and 5-(2-chloroethyl)-2--deoxyuridine

The mechanism responsible for the decreased sensitivity of a clinical herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) isolate, HSV-145, to (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) was examined. Measurements of 50% inhibitory doses of several drugs demonstrated that although HSV-145 was sensitive to phosphonoacetic acid, adenine arabinoside and acyclovir, its sensitivity to BVDU and 5-(2-chloroethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine was significantly less than that normally observed for HSV-1. Analysis of the thymidylate kinase (TMP-K) activity of HSV-145 thymidine kinase (TK) demonstrated a decreased level of TMP-K activity when compared to HSV-1 TK. The TMP-K activity of HSV-145 resembled that observed for HSV-2 and the TK-deficient strain HSV-1 TK-7. When the nucleotide sequence of the HSV-145 TK gene was compared to that of the HSV-1 strains C1(101) and SC16 a single nucleotide substitution (G changed to A at base position 502) was detected which would result in the substitution of threonine at amino acid position 168 for alanine. The substitution is the same as that for the laboratory-derived BVDU-resistant virus HSV-1 SC16B3. Collectively, these studies highlight the importance of amino acid conservation at position 168 of the HSV-1 TK in conferring efficient TMP-K activity and BVDU sensitivity.

Topics: Acyclovir; Amino Acid Sequence; Antiviral Agents; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Bromodeoxyuridine; Deoxyuridine; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Herpesvirus 1, Human; Humans; Kinetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Phosphonoacetic Acid; Phosphorylation; Point Mutation; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Thymidine; Thymidine Kinase; Vidarabine

The synthesis of potential "combined prodrugs" wherein phosphonoformate or phosphonoacetate was attached to the 5'-position of 2'-deoxyuridine, 2'-deoxythymidine, 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IDU), 5-(2-chloroethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (CEDU), or 5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) or to the 3'-position of CEDU is described. The antiviral activities of these derivatives and of reference compounds were compared in Vero, HEp-2, and primary rabbit kidney cells against herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and -2). The CEDU and BVDU analogues were also evaluated against systemic and intracutaneous HSV-1 infection in mice. The nature of the 5-substituent proved critical for antiviral activity, since only the 5-iodo-, 5-(2-bromovinyl)-, and 5-(2-chloroethyl)-substituted derivatives were inhibitory to the herpesviruses. Furthermore, the type specificity is determined by the nature of the 5-substituent: the IDU analogues were similarly inhibitory to HSV-1 and -2 whereas the CEDU and BVDU analogues inhibited HSV-2 replication only at considerably higher concentrations than HSV-1. In vivo, several derivatives were shown to possess significant antiviral activity; however, none surpassed its respective parent compound, CEDU or BVDU, in potency. It seems improbable, therefore, that a synergistic effect between PFA or PAA and the nucleoside analogue occurred. The extent of in vitro and in vivo activity of the CEDU and BVDU 5'-phosphonoformates and 5'-phosphonoacetates is most plausibly explained by the ease by which the "combined prodrugs" are hydrolyzed and the parent compound, CEDU and BVDU, respectively, is released.

Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Bromodeoxyuridine; Cell Line; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Deoxyuridine; Foscarnet; Herpes Simplex; Mice; Organophosphorus Compounds; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Phosphonoacetic Acid; Prodrugs; Rabbits; Simplexvirus; Thymidine; Vero Cells

5-(2-Fluoroethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (FEDU), its 2'-fluoroarabinofuranosyl analog (FEFAU) and the 2'-fluoroarabinofuranosyl analog (CEFAU) of the potent anti-herpesvirus compound 5-(2-chloroethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (CEDU) were evaluated for activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 in vitro and in vivo. FEDU, FEFAU and CEFAU proved to be potent and selective anti-herpesvirus agents in vitro. Their potency is evident from their low minimum inhibitory concentrations for HSV-1 and HSV-2, and their selectivity is attested by the marginal inhibition of cell proliferation at relatively high concentrations, and by the high concentrations at which DNA-, RNA- or protein synthesis in normal uninfected host cells is inhibited. Their activity spectrum is broader than that of CEDU: in addition to being highly effective against HSV-1 replication, these derivatives, in particular FEFAU, inhibit HSV-2 replication at concentrations comparable to acyclovir (ACV). In the systemic and cutaneous HSV-1 infection models in mice, FEDU, FEFAU and CEFAU were markedly less potent than CEDU in suppressing the development of lesions and in reducing the mortality rate. In HSV-2 infections in mice and in guinea pigs FEDU, FEFAU and CEFAU were virtually ineffective. CEDU, however, exerted a protective effect in these animal models, albeit at relatively high concentrations.

Topics: Acyclovir; Animals; Antiviral Agents; Arabinofuranosyluracil; Cell Division; Cell Line; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Deoxyuridine; DNA, Viral; Female; Floxuridine; Guinea Pigs; Herpes Simplex; Mice; Mice, Hairless; RNA, Viral; Simplexvirus; Virus Replication

Topics: Acyclovir; Animals; Antiviral Agents; Cell Line; Deoxyuridine; DNA, Viral; Herpes Simplex; Herpesviridae; Herpesvirus 3, Human; Mice; Mice, Hairless; RNA, Viral; Simplexvirus; Time Factors; Virus Replication