Gilles Gosselin

Pharmacology of β-l-Thymidine and β-l-2′-Deoxycytidine in HepG2 Cells and Primary Human Hepatocytes: Relevance to Chemotherapeutic Efficacy against Hepatitis B Virus

ABSTRACT β-l-Thymidine (l-dT) and β-l-2′-deoxycytidine (l-dC) are potent and highly specific inhibitors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication both in vivo and in vitro (50% effective concentrations, 0.19 to 0.24 μM in 2.2.15 cells). The intracellular metabolisms of l-dT and l-dC were investigated in HepG2 cells and primary cultured human hepatocytes. l-dT and l-dC were extensively phosphorylated in both cell types, with the 5′-triphosphate derivative being the predominant metabolite. In HepG2 cells, the 5′-triphosphate levels were 27.7 ± 12.1 and 72.4 ± 1.8 pmol/106 cells for l-dT and l-dC, respectively. In primary human hepatocytes, the 5′-triphosphate levels were 16.5 ± 9.8 and 90.1 ± 36.4 pmol/106 cells for l-dT and l-dC, respectively. Furthermore, a choline derivative of l-dCDP was detected at concentrations of 15.8 ± 1.8 and 25.6 ± 0.1 pmol/106 cells in human hepatocytes and HepG2 cells, respectively. In HepG2 cells exposed to l-dC, the 5′-monophosphate and 5′-triphosphate derivatives of β-l-2′-deoxyuridine (l-dUMP and l-dUTP, respectively) were also observed, reaching intracellular concentrations of 6.7 ± 0.4 and 18.2 ± 1.0 pmol/106 cells, respectively. In human hepatocytes, l-dUMP and l-dUTP were detected at concentrations of 5.7 ± 2.4 and 43.5 ± 26.8 pmol/106 cells, respectively. It is likely that deamination of l-dCMP by deoxycytidylate deaminase leads to the formation of l-dUMP, as the parent compound, l-dC, was not a substrate for deoxycytidine deaminase. The intracellular half-lives of l-dTTP, l-dCTP, and l-dUTP were at least 15 h, with intracellular concentrations of each metabolite remaining above their respective 50% inhibitory concentrations for the woodchuck hepatitis virus DNA polymerase for as long as 24 h after removal of the drug from cell cultures. Exposure of HepG2 cells to l-dT in combination with l-dC led to concentrations of the activated metabolites similar to those achieved with either agent alone. These results suggest that the potent anti-HBV activities of l-dT and l-dC are associated with their extensive phosphorylation.

Systematic Synthesis and Antiviral Evaluation of α-L-Arabinofuranosyl and 2′-Deoxy-α-L-Erythro-Pento-Furanosyl Nucleosides of the Five Naturally Occurring Nucleic Acid Bases

Abstract The α-L-arabinofuranosyl and 2′-deoxy-α-L-erythro-pentofuranosyl analogues of the naturally occurring nucleosides have been synthesized and their antiviral properties examined. The α-L-arabinofuranosyl nucleosides were prepared by glycosylation of purine and pyrimidine aglycons with a suitably peracyl-α-L-arabinose, followed by removal of the protecting groups. Their 2′-deoxy derivatives were obtained by sequential selective 2′-O-deacylation and deoxygenation. All the prepared compounds were tested for their activity against a variety of RNA and DNA viruses, but they did not show significant antiviral activity.

2′-and/or 3Y-Deoxy-β-L-pentofuranosyl Nucleoside Derivatives: Stereospecific Synthesis and Antiviral Activities

Abstract Several L-enantiomers of nucleoside analogues were stereospecifically synthesized by a multi-step reaction from L-xylose and their antiviral properties were examined in vitro. Two of them, namely β-L-2′,3,′-dideoxycytidine (β-L-ddC) and its 5-fluoro derivative (β-L-FddC) were found to have potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and significant anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activities in cell cultures.

Synthese chimique de nucleotides possedant des liaisons phosphodiesters 2′-5′ et 3′-5′ vicinales

Abstract Two branched trinucleotides, consisting of an adenosine linked at 3′ to a cytidine and at 2′ to a guanosine or to a 2-amino-6-phenylmercapto-purine riboside were synthesized from a common precursor.

Sensitization of ara-C-resistant lymphoma cells by a pronucleotide analogue

Adequate intracellular concentrations of ara‐CMP, the monophosphorylated derivative of ara‐C, are essential for its cytotoxicity. The critical step for ara‐CMP formation is intracellular phosphorylation of ara‐C by deoxycytidine kinase (dCK). A common nucleoside resistance mechanism is mutation affecting the expression or the specificity of dCK. We describe the ability of a tert‐butyl S‐acyl‐thioethyl (SATE) derivative of ara‐CMP (UA911) to circumvent ara‐C resistance in a dCK‐deficient human follicular lymphoma cell line (RL‐G). The RL‐G cell line was produced by continuous exposure to gemcitabine and displayed low dCK mRNA and protein expression that conferred resistance both to ara‐C (2,250‐fold) and to gemcitabine (2,092‐fold). RL‐G cells were able to take up the UA911 pronucleotide by diffusion and metabolize it to the corresponding ara‐CMP and ara‐CTP nucleotides, exhibiting a 199‐fold reduction in resistance ratios, and a similar cell cycle arrest to the parental RL‐7 cells. Exposures to 10, 50 or 100 μM concentrations of UA911 produced 160 ± 7, 269 ± 8 and 318 ± 62 pmol ara‐CTP/mg protein in RL‐7 cells, and 100 ± 12, 168 ± 10 and 217 ± 39 pmol ara‐CTP/mg protein in RL‐G cells, respectively. Exposure of RL‐G cells to underivatized, radiolabeled ara‐C produced no detectable amounts of the active triphosphate metabolites. We conclude that the UA911 pronucleotide is capable of overcoming dCK‐mediated resistance. This result can be attributed to the unique cellular metabolism of the SATE pronucleotides giving rise to the intracellular delivery of ara‐CMP to dCK‐deficient cells.

Potential antiviral agents. Stereospecific synthesis of purines and pyrimidines substituted with chiral acyclic chains by sugar-ring opening of α-L-arabinopyranosyl nucleosides

3′,4′-Seco-nucleosides as well as their derivatives lacking C-3′, all retain the carbon framework and chirality of the β-D-ribofuranosyl moiety of the nucleosides occurring in nucleic acids, have been synthesized and their antiviral properties examined. Most of these chiral acyclic nucleosides were hitherto unknown and they were stereospecifically prepared by ring opening of α-L-arabinopyranosyl nucleosides by means of periodate oxidation followed by borohydride reduction. All the prepared compounds were tested for their activity against a variety of RNA and DNA viruses, but they did not show significant antiviral activity.

Synthesis of 9-(3-deoxy- and 2,3-dideoxy-3-fluoro-β-D-xylofuranosyl)guanines as potential antiviral agents

Abstract The first synthesis of the title compounds 8 and 10 was accomplished by a multi-step approach involving prior preparation of a suitably protected fluorosugar 6 .

Detention D′arabinofuranncwuclbdsides Par Transpdrmation Chemique De Certains Xylofurannonuclesosides

Abstract βD-arabinofuranonucleosides have been surprisingly obtained from (3, 5-di-O-benzoyl-β-D-xylofuranosyl) nucleosides through an oxidation, followed by reduction and deacylation procedure.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of β-D-Pentofuranonucleoside Derivatives of 2-Azidoadenine and 6-Azidopurines

Abstract β-D-pentofuranonucleoside derivatives of 2-azidoadenine and 6-azidopurines have been synthesized. The azido-tetrazolo tautomerism observed on such nucleoside analogues has been studied. The compounds were tested for their activity against HIV and HBV but they did not show significant antiviral effect.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of nucleoside analogues : Simultaneous analysis of anomeric d-xylo- and d-lyxofuranonucleosides and some other d-pentofuranonucleosides

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using a C18 column was applied to the analysis of reconstituted mixtures of previously synthesized alpha, beta D-xylo- and D-lyxofuranonucleosides as well as a number of commercially available D-ribo- and D-arabinofuranonucleosides. From a detailed study of various parameters (size of support particles, nature and pH of the mobile phase, temperature), optimized conditions were established. Correlations between the retention times and structures of the bases, the orientations of the secondary hydroxyl groups of the sugar moiety and the anomeric configurations of the nucleosides are also reported.