title: In vivo antiherpesvirus activity of N-7-substituted acyclic nucleoside analog 2-amino-7-[(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]purine.
abstract: The efficacy of 2-amino-7-[(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]purine (S2242) was evaluated in several animal models for herpesvirus infections. Compound S2242 was more effective than acyclovir (i) when administered subcutaneously in a model for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-induced mortality in immunocompetent mice and (ii) when applied topically to hairless (hr/hr) mice that had been infected intracutaneously with HSV-2. In SCID (severe combined immune deficient) mice that had been infected with a thymidine kinase-deficient HSV-1 strain, S2242 (administered subcutaneously at a dosage of 50 mg/kg/day) completely protected against virus-induced mortality whereas foscarnet was less effective and acyclovir had no or little protective effect. Compound S2242 was far more effective than ganciclovir in preventing or delaying murine cytomegalovirus-induced mortality in immunocompetent and SCID mice. The compound was more effective when a given dose was fractionated and administered on subsequent days than when this dose was administered in one single injection. A 5-day treatment course with S2242 (10 and 50 mg/kg/day) for newborn mice that had been infected with a lethal dose of murine cytomegalovirus suppressed virus-induced mortality. Compound S2242 had no inhibitory effect on the growth of weanling (at 50 mg/kg for 5 days) and 3- to 4-week-old mice (at doses of 50 to 200 mg/kg for 6 weeks). However, akin to ganciclovir, compound S2242 significantly reduced testicle weight, testicle morphology, and spermatogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neyts
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jähne
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andrei
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Snoeck
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Clercq
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008812:Mice, Hairless; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008954:Models, Biological; D011687:Purines / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D011687:Purines; C092709:S 2242; D015774:Ganciclovir; D000212:Acyclovir