A 7-Deaza-Adenosine Analog Is a Potent and Selective Inhibitor of Hepatitis C Virus Replication with Excellent Pharmacokinetic Properties

ABSTRACT Improved treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are needed due to the suboptimal response rates and deleterious side effects associated with current treatment options. The triphosphates of 2′-C-methyl-adenosine and 2′-C-methyl-guanosine were previously shown to be potent inhibitors of the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that is responsible for the replication of viral RNA in cells. Here we demonstrate that the inclusion of a 7-deaza modification in a series of purine nucleoside triphosphates results in an increase in inhibitory potency against the HCV RdRp and improved pharmacokinetic properties. Notably, incorporation of the 7-deaza modification into 2′-C-methyl-adenosine results in an inhibitor with a 20-fold-increased potency as the 5′-triphosphate in HCV RdRp assays while maintaining the inhibitory potency of the nucleoside in the bicistronic HCV replicon and with reduced cellular toxicity. In contrast, while 7-deaza-2′-C-methyl-GTP also displays enhanced inhibitory potency in enzyme assays, due to poor cellular penetration and/or metabolism, the nucleoside does not inhibit replication of a bicistronic HCV replicon in cell culture. 7-Deaza-2′-C-methyl-adenosine displays promising in vivo pharmacokinetics in three animal species, as well as an acute oral lethal dose in excess of 2,000 mg/kg of body weight in mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate that 7-deaza-2′-C-methyl-adenosine is an attractive candidate for further investigation as a potential treatment for HCV infection.