Inhibitory Effects of Acyclic Nucleoside Phosphonate Analogues on Hepatitis B Virus DNA Synthesis in HB611 Cells

By using an assay system based on a human hepatoblastoma cell line (HB611) that continuously synthesizes hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, 56 acyclic nucleoside phosphonate analogues were examined for their inhibitory effects on HBV DNA synthesis. The following compounds were found to inhibit HBV DNA synthesis at concentrations that were significantly lower than their minimum cytotoxic concentrations; 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)adenine (PMEA), 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl) guanine(PMEG), 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl) guanine ethyl ester (PMEGEE), 9 - (2 - phosphonylmethoxyethyl) - 1 - deazaadenine (PMEC1A), 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP), ( S)-9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (HPMPA), 9-(3-isopropoxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (IPPMPA), 9-( RS)-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (PMPA) and 9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)-2, 6-diaminopurine (HPMPDAP). The most selective compounds (with indexes greater than 100) were PMEDAP, PMEA, IPPMPA, and PMPA. Acyclic pyrimidine nucleoside phosphonate analogues did not prove markedly selective as anti-HBV agents. Diphosphoryl derivatives of some acyclic purine nucleoside phos-phonates (i.e. PMEA, PMEDAP, HPMPA) were prepared. They proved inhibitory to HBV DNA polymerase but not cellular DNA polymerase α.