Suppression of subgenomic hepatitis C virus replication by 5'-O-masked analogues of 6-chloropurine-2'-deoxyriboside.

A series of nucleoside analogues whose 5'-hydroxyl groups are masked by various protective groups were synthesized and evaluated to develop novel anti- hepatitis C virus (HCV) agents. Among the several analogues that showed anti-HCV potency, a 5'-O-benzoyl-2'-deoxyribonucleoside analogue exhibited high anti-HCV activity with an EC(50) of 6.1 microM.