(E)-5-(3-oxopropen-1-yl)-2′-deoxyuridine and (E)-5-(3-oxopropen-1-yl)-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine; new antiviral agents: Syntheses and biological activity

The syntheses of the 5-(3-oxopropen-1-yl) derivatives of dU (5) and ddU (6) and their biological activity are reported. Good antiviral activity (EC(50), 1.4 mu g/mL) and selectivity (SI > 71.4) is shown by 5 against VZV, whereas in the case of 6 the antiviral activity (EC(50), 2.6 mu g/mL; SI > 38.5) against EBV is greater than that of Acyclovir (EC(50), 9.3 mu g/mL).