6-azapyrimidine-2'-deoxy-4'-thionucleosides: antiviral agents against TK+ and TK- HSV and VZV strains.

The synthesis of a series of novel 1-(2-deoxy-4-thio-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-(6-azapyrimidine) nucleosides is described. X-ray crystallographic data of the thymidine derivative allowed conformational analysis, which indicated a twist (3T2) sugar conformation. Hydrogen-bonded assemblies for the crystal structure were determined using PLATON software to allow further interpretation of the crystal packing and base interactions. The 6-azapyrimidine nucleosides described were evaluated against a range of viral strains. The thymidine analogue showed pronounced activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and vaccinia virus. This compound lost only 5- to 10-fold of its antiviral activity against thymidine kinase (TK)-deficient HSV-1 and VZV strains. These observations suggest that the compounds may not entirely depend on viral TK-catalyzed phosphorylation for antiviral activity and/or use an alternative metabolic activation pathway, and/or display a unique mechanism of antiviral action by the unmetabolized nucleoside analogue.