Design, synthesis and evaluation of a series of acyclic fleximer nucleoside analogues with anti-coronavirus activity.

ABSTRACT: A series of doubly flexible nucleoside analogues were designed based on the acyclic sugar scaffold of acyclovir and the flex-base moiety found in the fleximers. The target compounds were evaluated for their antiviral potential and found to inhibit several coronaviruses. Significantly, compound 2 displayed selective antiviral activity (CC50 >3× EC50) towards human coronavirus (HCoV)-NL63 and Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus, but not severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus. In the case of HCoV-NL63 the activity was highly promising with an EC50 <10 ?M and a CC50 >100 ?M. As such, these doubly flexible nucleoside analogues are viewed as a novel new class of drug candidates with potential for potent inhibition of coronaviruses.

SUBMITTER: Peters HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4466200 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature