title: New AZT conjugates as potent anti-HIV agents.
abstract: In an attempt to discover anti-HIV agents with much reduced cytotoxicity from the currently available HIV-reverse transcriptase inhibitors, AZT conjugates of cholanic acids, 2-imidazolidone-4-carboxylic acid and its derivatives, and N,N'-disubstituted 5-hydroxy-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ones have been synthesized and their anti-HIV profiles determined with CEM-SS cell line. The AZT conjugates with 2-imidazolidone-4-carboxylic acid and 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid through an ester linkage, and with N,N'-diphenyl-5-hydroxy-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-one through a succinate tether showed significantly higher therapeutic indexes than AZT while they also retained or enhanced AZT's anti-HIV activity. Thus, structural features that favor the desired therapeutic profile of the conjugates appear to include a five-membered ring cyclic urea or lactam, and six-membered ring cyclic urea with N,N'-diphenyl substitution.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Zhengqing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Henry Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D002460:Cell Line; D015394:Molecular Structure; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D015215:Zidovudine