Scalable Synthesis, In Vitro cccDNA Reduction, and In Vivo Antihepatitis B Virus Activity of a Phosphonomethoxydeoxythreosyl Adenine Prodrug

J Med Chem. 2020 Nov 25;63(22):13851-13860. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01381. Epub 2020 Nov 16.

Abstract

Standard literature procedures for the chemical synthesis of l-threose nucleosides generally employ l-ascorbic acid as starting material. Herein, we have explored two alternative routes that start from either l-arabitol or l-diethyl tartrate, both affording 2-O-methyl-l-threofuranose as a key building block for nucleobase incorporation. The access to multigram quantities of this glycosyl donor in a reproducible fashion allows for the preparation of 2'-deoxy-α-l-threofuranosyl phosphonate nucleosides on a large scale. This methodology was applied to the gram scale synthesis of an aryloxy amidate prodrug of phosphonomethoxydeoxythreosyl adenine. This prodrug exerted potent activity against an entecavir-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) strain, while leading to a significant reduction in the levels of HBV covalently closed circular DNA in a cellular assay. Furthermore, its remarkable anti-HBV efficacy was also confirmed in vivo using a hydrodynamic injection-based HBV mouse model, without relevant toxicity and systemic exposure occurring.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenine / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • DNA, Circular / analysis
  • DNA, Circular / genetics*
  • DNA, Viral / analysis
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • Drug Resistance, Viral / drug effects*
  • Guanine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Guanine / pharmacology
  • Hepatitis B / drug therapy*
  • Hepatitis B / virology
  • Hepatitis B virus / drug effects*
  • Hepatitis B virus / genetics
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Nucleosides / chemistry
  • Prodrugs / pharmacology*
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • DNA, Circular
  • DNA, Viral
  • Nucleosides
  • Prodrugs
  • entecavir
  • Guanine
  • Adenine