Antiviral activities nucleic bases

Takemoto and coworkers have prepared a wide variety of monomeric derivatives of a number of nucleic acid bases in order to prepare simple analogs of RNA and DNA (23.24). Some of these synthetic polymers do show base-base interactions that are similar to those observed in natural DNA and RNA materials. Pltha has observed anticancer and antiviral activity for some vinyl derivative polymers of uracil or adenine (25). 

Actually it is doubtful that the antiviral properties of polyanions are based only on the interferon induction (46), since several groups have also demonstrated other activities of polyanions. Thus, e.g. poly(vinylsulfonate) has been found to interact with nucleic acids, thus inhibiting their acylation or methylation (47). Tempel (48) has shown that in mice phosphatases can be activated with poly(vinylsulfonate). 

As discussed in Chapter 3, the nucleic acid bases cytosine, thymine, and uracil contain a pyrimidine ring. Adenine and guanine are based on the purine ring, which includes a pyrimidine ring. Because the five nucleic acid bases contain the pyrimidine ring, perhaps we should not be surprised that pyrimidines are prominent in the pharmaceutically active ingredients used in a variety of therapies including antipsychotic, cholesterol reduction, cancer, erectile dysfunction, antivirals, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 

Pyrimidine is an important heterocycle with a variety of biological activities. They are closely related to nucleic acids since they are very mueh alike in stmeture to the pyrimidine bases [93]. Perhaps, because of this straetural similarity, eompounds with such heterocycles in their molecular structure were reported as antitumor, interferon inducer, antiviral, antihypertensive, hypoglyeemie, anticonvulsant, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatoiy agents [94]. 

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