IL106709A - Antiviral pharmaceutical compositions containing 2',5'-oligoadenylates - Google Patents

Description

106709/3 d>o> >ί?> J-TN-'5-'2 >Ai JN o t7>Don ni > >D>AJ m mm iD>ot? mnpn οπα o>¾nn Ο>Ό> >i?> JTN-'5-'2 ui JN ru_oi PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING VIRAL INFECTIONS CONTAINING 21 , 5 ' -OLIGOADENYLATE ANALOGS AND CERTAIN NOVEL 21 , 5 ' -OLIGOADENYLATE ANALOGS THEREOF TEMPLE UNIVERSITY - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION C: I743I I-IO62 106709/3 - l - Field of the Invention The present application, which was divided from IL 90499. relates to erythro-9 (2-hydroxy-3~nonyl ) adenylyl (2 ' ,5' )adenylyl(2' ,5' ) -adenosine, 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl- (2 ' 5 ' ) 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl- (2 ' 51 ) 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazole and their 5 ' -phosphates , and to pharmaceutical compositions for treating mammals against infection by viruses which have retroviral-like replication, these compositions comprising the above compounds or other specified adenine, tubercidine or inosinine derivatives. 2 ' , 51 -oligoadenylate analogs .

Background of the Invention The full nomenclature of the subject matter of the present invention involves extremely long terms. It is customary for those skilled in the art to abbreviate these terms in a manner well known to them. These general and customary abbreviations are set forth herein below and may be utilized in the text of this specification.

Abbreviations : A, adenosine or adenylate or adenylyl cordycepin or C or 3,-dA, 3' -deoxyadenosine(3' -deoxyadenylate) ara-A , 9~β-D-arabinofuranosyladenine EHNA, erythro-9" (2-hydroxy-3~nonyl) adenine A-3 ' -amino , 3 ' -amino3 ' -deoxyadenosine tubercidin, 4-amino-7 (p-D-ribofuranosyl)pyrrolo[2, 3_d]-pyrimidine 3 ' -dATP , 3 ' -deoxyadenosine triphosphate ATP, adenosine triphosphate I, inosine or inosinate or inosinylyl Xylo-A or xyloadenosine, 9~&~D-xylofuranosyladenine dCF or 21 -deoxycoformycin, (R) -3- (2-deoxy-/9-D- erythropentofuranosyl) -3,6,7, 8-tetrahydroimidazo [4 , 5- d] [l,3]diazepine-8-ol 2-5A or 2 · , 5 ' -oligo (A) or 2 · , 5 · -oligoadenylate, oligomer of adenylic acid with 21 , 5 · -phosphodiester linkages and a triphosphate at the 5 '-end 2 ·, 5 » -cordycepin analog or 2 · , 5 · -oligocordycepin, oligomer of 3 · -deoxyadenylic acid with 2 ', 5 * -phosphodiester linkages and a triphosphate at the 5· -end 2,,5'-An or core oligomer, oligomer of adenylic acid with 21 , 5 · -phosphodiester linkages 2·,5·-Α3 or 21 , 5 ' -adenylate trimer core, adenylyl- (21 , 5 · ) adenylyl (21 , 5 · ) adenosine 2*,5'-A4 or 2 ', 51 -adenylate tetramer core, adenylyl (2· ,5·) adenylyl (2' , 5 ') adenylyl (2 · , 5 ·) adenosine 2,,5'-3IdA3 or 2',5'-C-C-C or 2 ·, 5 ' -cordycepin trimer core, 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 51 ) 3 · -deoxyadenylyl- (2 * , 51 ) 3 ' -deoxyadenosine 2 ' , 5 * -C-C-C-C or 21 , 5 ' -cordycepin tetramer core, 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (2 · , 5 · ) 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 51 ) 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 51 ) 3 · -deoxyadenosine 3 · , 51 -A3 , adenylyl ( 3 ' , 51 ) adenylyl ( 3 · , 51 ) adenosine 2·,5·-Ι3 or 2 · , 51 -inosine trimer core, inosinylyl- (2 * , 5 · ) inosinylyl (21 , 5 ' ) inosine EBV, Epstein-Barr virus EBNA, Epstein-Barr virus associated early nuclear antigen HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, including HIV-1, HIV-2, and all other HIV subtypes HBLV, human B-cell lymphotropic virus HTLV, human T-cell leukemia virus, including HTLV-I, HTLV-II and HTLV-III, and all other HTLV sub-types IFNQ : a -interferon rlFN-aA: recombinant a -interferon dsRNA: double-strand ribonucleic acid 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep 21 , 51 -A-A-Tu , adenylyl ( 2 · , 5 · ) adenyly1 (21 , 5 · ) tuber cidin 2 · , 51 -Tu-Tu-Tu , 2 · , 5 · -tubercidyly1 ( 2 · , 5 · ) tuber cidylyl (21 , 51 ) tubercidin 21 , 5 ' -A-A-ara-A, adenylyl (2 · , 5 · ) adenylyl (2 · , 5 ' ) ara A . 2 » , 5 · -C-C-A , · 3 » -deoxyadenylyl ( 2 · , 5 · ) 3 » -deoxy adenylyl (2 ', 51 ) adenosine 2 ' , 51 -A-C-C, adenylyl (2 · , 5 · ) 3 · -deoxyadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) 31 -deoxyadenosine 2 · , 5'-A-A-C, adenylyl (2 » , 5 ») adenylyl ( 2 » , 5·)3· deoxyadenosine 2 ' , 5 » -C-A-C, 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (2 ■ , 5 · ) adenylyl (2 ' , 51 ) 3 · -deoxyadenosine 2 ' , 51 -C-C-A, 31 -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 5 · ) 31 -deoxy adenylyl (2 ' , 5 · ) adenosine 2 · , 51 -A-C-A , adenylyl (2 ' , 51 ) 3 » -deoxyadenylyl' (2 · , 5 · ) adenosine 2 · , 51 -xylo-A3 , xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 51 ) xyloadenylyl- (2 * , 51 ) xyloadenosine 21 , 5 · -xylo-A4 , xyloadenylyl (21 , 5 · ) xyloadenylyl- (2 · ,5 ' ) xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) xyloadenosine Ac, acetyl Bz, benzyl Tr, 5 ' -0-p_-methoxytrityl 21 , 5 * -trityl-C8 , 5 ' -0-p_-methoxytrityl-3 '-deoxyadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) 31 -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 5 ' ) 3 ' -deoxyadenosine 2 * , 51 -trityl-A3 , 5 ' -0-p_-metnoxytrityladenylyl- (2 ' , 51 ) adenylyl (2 * , 5 » ) adenosine 2 · , 5 · -C-C-dCF , 31 -deoxyadenylyl ( 21 , 5 » ) 3 · -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 5 · ) 21 -deoxycoformycin 2 ' , 5 » -A-A-A-31 -amino, adenylyl (2 · , 5 ' ) adenylyl- (21 , 5 ' ) 3 ' -amino-31 -deoxyadenosine SiTBD, t-butyldimethylsilyl or -Si (CH3 ) 2 C (CH3 ) , 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep 2 · , 51 -A (si) -A (Si) -A, 3 ' -O-t-butyldimethylsilyl- adenylyl ( 21 , 51 ) 3 ' -O-t-butyldimethylsilyladenylyl (2 · , 51 ) - adenosine 2 ' , 5 · -A-A-A-3 · -0-methyl , adenylyl (2 ' , 5 · ) adenylyl- (2\5')3 -O-methyladenosine 2 ' 5 · -A-A-A-3 · -0-pentyl , adenylyl (2 · , 5 · ) adenylyl- (2',5·)3 -O-pentyladenosine 2 · 5 · -A-A-A-3 « -0-hexyl , adenylyl ( 2 ' , 5 ' ) adenylyl- (2\5')3 -O-hexyladenpsine 2 » 51 -A-A-A-3 · -0-heptyl , adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) adenylyl- (2',5·)3 -O-heptyladenosine 2 · 5 · -EHNA-A-A, erythro-9- ( 2-hydroxy-3-nonyl ) -adenylyl (2 ' , 51 ) adenylyl (21 , 5 ' ) adenosine The abbreviation for the "tetra er" compounds comprising the adenylyl (A) and 3 ' deoxyadenylyl (C) moieties is illustrated by the following: 2 · , 5 ' -A-A-C-C , adenylyl (21 , 5 ' ) adenylyl (2 ' , 5 · ) 3 · -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 51 ) 3 · -deoxyadenosine With the expansion of the knowledge of the antiviral state induced by interferon, attention has been focused on the chemical and enzymatic synthesis and biological properties of the 21 , 51 -oligoadenylates as mediators of the antiviral response. 2 ' , 5 ' -Oligo (A) is a component of a natural, broad-spectrum antiviral defense mechanism in plants and animals. The 2-5A pathway, also known as the 2-5A/RNase L pathway or antiviral system, is widely accepted to be involved in the antiviral mechanism of interferon, and may also be involved in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. According to that pathway, 2-5A is synthesized from ATP by 2',5'-oligo-adenylate synthetase [ATP: (2 · -51 ) oligo (A) -adenyltrans-ferase (EC 2.7.7.19)], hereinafter "2-5A synthetase". The enzyme is activated by dsRNA. 2-5A exerts its biological effects by binding to and activating its only known target enzyme, the unique 2-5A dependent endoribo-nuclease RNase L. The latter cleaves viral and cellular 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep mRNA or rRNA, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis. Hovanessian et al., Eur. J. Bioche . 93..515-526 (1979); Kerr et al., Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75:256-260 (1978) . However, the short half-life of the authentic 2- 5A molecule in biological systems is an acknowledged disadvantage in the control of viral replication.

"Human B-lymphotropic virus", also known as "human B-cell lymphotropic virus" (HBLV) , which is characterized by a large molecular weight double-stranded DNA genome is morphologically similar to viruses of the herpes virus family, but is readily distinguishable from the known human and non-human primate herpes viruses by host range, in vitro biological effects, antigenic features and genome. Salahuddin et al., Science 234 : 596-601 (1986); Josephs et al., Science 234 : 601-602 (1986). The virus has been observed to selectively infect freshly isolated human B-cells, which are converted into large, refractile mono- or binucleated cells with nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. HBLV is suspected to be the cause of a chronic mononucleosis-like syndrome characterized by chronic fatigue lasting more than a year.

Human immunodeficiency virus ("HIV") , also known as human T-cell leukemia virus III ("HTLV-III") , the etio-logic agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is a type D retrovirus. As in all retroviruses, an essential feature of HIV replication is reverse transcription of the plus-strand RNA genome into DNA, a process which requires an RNA dependent DNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase. This enzyme is viral-encoded and is found associated with genomic RNA in mature HIV virions. The exclusiveness of reverse transcriptase to retroviruses and viruses requiring a short reverse transcription step makes reverse transcriptase a major target for antiviral, and particularly for antiretroviral , therapeutic intervention . 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep 106709/3 - 6 - What is needed is a method for controlling HIV, chronic fatigue caused by HBLV, and other disease states characterized by a 2-5A pathway defect using compounds that are more metabolically stable and active than authentic 2-5A.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of a mammal against infection by viruses which have retroviral-like replication, comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and at least one compound selected from the group of the following compounds, or the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphates thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them: 3,-deoxyadenylyl(2, ,5' ,5· ) - (R) -3- (2-deoxy-β-D-erythropentofuranosyl ) ~3.6 , 7.8-tetrahydroimidazo[4 , 5"d] [1 , 3]~ diazepin-8-ol , adenylyl (2' ,5' ) adenylyl (2' ,5' ) tubercidin, tubercidylyl (21 , 51 ) tubercidylyl (21 , 5 ' ) tubercidin , adenylyl(2' ,5' )adenylyl(2' ,5* )9~ "D"aΓabinofuranosyladenine, inosinylyl(2' ,5' )inosinylyl(2' ,5' )inosine, xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) xyloadenosine , xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) -xyloadenosine , erythro-9(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenylyl (2' ,5' ) adenylyl (2' ,5' )-adenosine , 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl (2 ' 5 ' ) 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl-(2 ' 51 ) 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside . 1Θ6709/3 - 7 - Thus, the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may be used, e.g., for counteracting HIV infection, for the treatment of chronic virus infection, or for the treatment of hepatitis infection.

The present invention also provides the compound erythro~9(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenylyl(2' ,5' )adenylyl(2' ,5' )-adenosine, or the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

The present invention moreover provides the compound 5i6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl (2 ' 5 ' ) 5.6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl- (215 ' ) 5.6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside, or the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them. 106709/2 - 8 - Brief Description of the Figure Figure 1 shows the effect of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition by the following 2' , 5 ' -oligoadenylate analogs: P2C3 (solid circles); pC^ (hollow circles); p^C^ (solid squares); pCg (hollow squares); and (solid triangles). Reverse transcriptase reactions contained poly(A) - (dT) -^cj as template- primer, Triton X-100 activated HTLV-IIIB lysates as enzyme, and were monitored by [ 3 H]dTTP incorporation as described in Example 9. Control values averaged 129,000 cpm, while background values averaged 10,000 cpm.

Figure 2 shows the effect of the following on HIV-1 infection in vitro: (I) cordycepin, (II) 2,,5'-A3, (III) 2\5'-C3 and (IV) 2»,5·-ρΰ3, (V) (2 ' , 5 · ) -A-C-A and (VI) 2,,5'-pC4. MT-2 cells were challenged with HTLV-IIIB in the presence and absence of effectors. Cytopathic effect was quantitated by vital dye uptake as described in Example 9. Each data point represents the average of three values. Standard deviations were less than 10% of averaged values.

Figure 3 is a plot of the combined anti-HIV-1 effect of 2 · , 51 -C3 with either rIFN-aA (A) , or mismatched dsRNA (B) . A combination drug index was calculated from the slopes of dose-effect curves and plotted against the percent protection values, or fraction affected. Concentrations were 3.1-100 ^g/ml for 2 ' , 5 · -C3 , 9.8-312.5 I.U./ml for rIFN-aA and 1.6-25 Mg/ml for mismatched dsRNA.

Detailed Description of the Invention Administration of exogenous, metabolically stable analogs of 2-5A will render increased protection against disorders characterized by a 2-5A defect, particularly protection against retroviral infection in animals and humans. By "2-5A defect" as used herein is meant any manifestation, condition or interruption of the 2-5A pathway which results in a decrease in the production of authentic 2-5A, and/or the interruption of 2-5A-dependent activation of RNase L. Afflictions characterized by a 2-5A defect include, for example, the following: retroviral infection, particularly HTLV infection, most particularly HIV infection, chronic fatigue, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; chronic myelogenous leukemia; acute leukemia; cancer; T-cell leukemia; Alzheimer's disease; Parkinson's 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep disease; multiple sclerosis; autoimmune disease; and surgery- and other trauma-induced immune dysfunction.

The defect is apparent in diseases, such as the above disorders caused by chronic viral infection, immune cell defects or both. 2-5A pathway defects are particularly manifested in diseases characterized by both chronic viral infection and immune cell defects.

Structural modification of the 2-5A molecule at the 3'-hydroxyl groups and elsewhere provides 2-5A analogues with remarkably increased metabolic stability to 2 '-phosphodiesterases and cellular nucleuses, while maintaining the ability to activate RNase L. Likewise modification of native 2-5A by substitution of the terminal nucleotide results in a more stable molecule. Persistent, high intracellular concentration of the etabolically stable 2-5A analogs are a consequence of their increased stability.

The longer-lasting pharmacological activity of the 2-5A analogs offers a more favorable therapeutic ratio. This allows a decreased frequency of administration relative to 2-5A, which is metabolicly unstable. Decreased frequency of administration is important due to the chronic nature of many afflictions characterized by 2-5A pathway defects.

The 2-5A analogs are particularly useful in the treatment of infections caused by retroviruses. The 2-5A pathway defect associated with retroviral infection comprises the inactivation of the pathway caused by the virus' interference with the activation of 2-5A synthetase by dsRNA. In the absence of 2-5A synthetase activation, 2-5A production, and hence activation of RNase L, is reduced. According to the present invention, exogenous, metabolically stable 2-5A analog is administered to counteract this retrovirally-caused defect in the 2-5A pathway. The 2-5A analogs, like authentic 2-5A, 6056-13(CIP 2) /tep are capable of activating RNase L, which cleaves viral RNA.

The 2-5A analogs are particularly useful in protecting against infection by the various human T-cell leukemia viruses (collectively "HTLV") , such as HTLV-I, which cause cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; HTLV-II, which causes Sezany lymphoma: HTLV-III; and HTLV-IV, which is presently believed to be the etiologic agent of multiple sclerosis. Each of the HTLV viruses is a retrovirus. Also known as "HIV-l", HTLV-III is responsible for causing acquired immune deficiency syndrome ("AIDS"). The compounds are further believed useful in treating HIV-2, a second serologically distinct HIV subtype. Hereinafter (HIV) shall mean either HIV-l or HIV-2, and any other HIV subtypes now or hereinafter known.

HTLV-infected patients, in particular HIV-1-in- fected patients, have been shown to demonstrate unusually low levels of 2-5A and/or RNase L activity in blood mononuclear cells. Blood mononuclear cells from healthy individuals, by contrast, display higher 2-5A levels, on average, and RNase L activity is readily detectable. Likewise blood mononuclear cells of chronic fatigue-inflicted individuals exhibit low 2-5A levels, and evidence the appearance of novel RNA cleavage products, distinct from the specific cleavage products observed in blood mononuclear cells from normal individuals.

While the practice of the invention is illustrated herein with regard to the treatment of HIV-l infection, which is generally regarded as a prototypical retrovirus, the method of the invention has application to the treatment of any diseases wherein the etiologic agent comprises a retrovirus. Additional retrovirus which infect man include, for example, the various non-HIV HTLV virus, discussed above.

The various afflictions characterized by a 2-5A pathway defect, in particular retroviral infection, most 6056-13 (CIP 2) ,/tep particularly HIV infection, may therefore be treated by the administration of exogenous, metabolically stable analogs of 2-5A to , counteract the 2-5A system defect associated with the disease state.

For pharmaceutical use, the 2 ' , 51 -oligoadenylate analogs may be taken up in pharmaceutically acceptable carriers. Such carriers for preparation of pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may be either organic or inorganic, solid or liquid in nature. Suitable solid carriers include gelatin, microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, starches, and magnesium stearate. Suitable liquid carriers include water and alcohols such as ethanol, benzyl alcohol and poly (ethylene glycols). The preferred liquid carriers for injectable preparations include water, saline solution, dextrose solution and glycol solutions such as aqueous propylene glycol or aqueous poly (ethylene glycol) . The properties of the formulations may be enhanced by the addition of one or more adjuvants possessing properties as viscosity enhancers, surfactants, pH modifiers, preservatives, sweeteners, stability enhancers, coloring agents, suspending agents, granulating agents, coating agents, disintegration modifiers, propellants, emulsifying agents and hymectants. The resulting compositions may be in the form of solutions, suspensions, tablets, capsules, ointments, elixirs, injectable compositions and the like.

The dosage administered depends upon the severity of the infection or affliction and the size and weight of the subject. The dosage may vary over a wide range depending on the nature of the affliction, and the size and weight of the subject. According to one embodiment, the compounds are prepared as a solution of 0.1-100 mg/ml in water, phosphate buffered saline or other appropriate fluid, or may be prepared as a tablet containing 0.01-1 gram active compound. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep The compounds may be administered in the form of water-soluble salts. Pharmaceutically acceptable water- soluble salts include, for example, the sodium, potassium and ammonium salts of the active compounds. They are readily dissolved in water or saline solution. The formulation may contain additional agents , such as a sugar or protein, to maintain the osmotic balance.

The 2 · , 51 -oligoadenylate analogs may be administered in doses of about 0.1 mg to about 1 gram to animals or humans afflicted by, or suspected of affliction by, or at risk of affliction by, any of the various conditions characterized by a 2-5A pathway defect. The total daily dosage may vary, for example, from about 0.001 gram to about 1 gram, although lower or higher amounts may be administered. A preferred daily dose is from about 0.01 gram to about 0.1 g of active ingredient. The compounds may be administered by any of several routes, including, but not limited to, intravenous injection, intraperitoneal or intramuscular injection, and oral administration. Techniques for accomplishing such administration are routine and known in the medical art. Administration may be as frequent as several times a day or as infrequent as weekly. For intravenous injection, particularly for treatment of HIV, a solution containing about 0.1 to about 1.0 milligram per ml of active ingredient is preferred.

It is also contemplated that the 2 · , 5 ' -oligoadenylate analogs may be administered topically to treat skin lesions associated with any of the disease states characterized 2-5A pathway defect. A sufficient amount of a preparation containing one or more of the 2 · ,5· -oligoadenylate analogs may be applied to cover the lesion or affected area. An effective concentration of active agent is from about 10-3 M to about 10~5 M, with about 10-4 M being preferred. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep In addition to administration with conventional carriers, the 2-5A analogs may be administered by a variety of specialized oligonucleotide or nucleic acid delivery techniques, such as by encapsulation in uni- lameller liposomes or reconstituted sendai virus envelopes, or by conjugation to carrier molecules such as poly (L-lysine) . Such methods are disclosed in commonly- assigned co-pending U.S. patent application 112,591, corresponding to International Patent Application WO 89/03683, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The 2·, 5· -oligoadenylate analogs may be chemically synthesized as follows. A blocked adenosine-2 ' -phospho- diester is prepared by blocking the 6-amino position with benzoyl, blocking the 5· position with p-methoxytrityl and optionally blocking the 3 · position with t-butyl-dimethylsilyl . A blocked nucleoside is prepared by blocking the 2' and 3· positions with acetyl, benzoyl or t-butyldimethylsilyl. Preparation of suitably blocked adenosine-2 » -phosphodiesters is carried out by adding the t-butyldimethylsilyl group to the 31 -O-t-butyldimethyl-silyl-isomeric-3 · -hydroxy1 group of N6 -benzoyl-5 ' -0- (4-methoxytrityl) adenosine by condensing the latter compound with t-butyldimethylsilylchloride using imidazole in pyridine to yield the 31 -O-t-butyldimethylsilyl derivative. Phosphorylation of the derivative is carried out using 2 , 5-dichlorophenyl-phosphorotriazolide in pyridine to yield a suitably blocked adenosine-21 -phosphodiester. This preparation is described in R. Charubala, E. Uhl-mann, and W. Pfleiderer, Liebigs Ann. Chem. , 2392 (1981) and R. Charubala, W. Pfleiderer, Tetrahedron Lett. 21 , 4077 (1980) , which are specifically incorporated herein by reference. The blocked adenosine-2 · -phosphodiester is condensed with the blocked nucleoside. in the presence of a condensing reagent which causes blocking of the phos- 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep phate functions to form a fully protected dinucleoside- monophosphotriester.

The resulting fully protected condensate is then detritylated at the terminal 5 * position with a detrityl- ating agent and condensed with a further adenosine-2 · - phosphodiester, blocked as described above, to form a fully protected 21 , 51 -trinucleosidediphosphoditriester, or 2',5' trimer core. The fully protected trimer core is then treated with appropriate deprotecting reagents to achieve complete deprotection and conversion to 2 * , 51 trimer core.

Alternatively, those 2 · , 5-oligoadenylate analogs which are formed from nucleotides which are substrates for 2-5A synthetase may be prepared enzymatically, according to the procedure of U.S. Patent 4,464,359, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

Preparation of the trimer core 2 · , 51 -A-A-ara-A is reported in Engles, J., Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 4339 (1980) , which is specifically incorporated herein by reference. Accordingly, the nucleoside N6 , 2·-0-,3'-0-tribenzoylarabino-furanosyladenine is condensed with the fully protected N6 , 31 -0-dibenzoyl-5 ' -O-trityladenylyl ( 2 · - 0-tribromoethy1-5 * ) N6 3 · -0-dibenzoyladenosine-2 · - (tri-bromoethylcyanoethylphosphate) using as the. coupling reagent quinoline-8-sulfonyl-3-nitro-l, 2 , 4-triazolide. The final deprotection of the resulting trimer triester is performed by detritylation with boron trifluoride/-methanol followed by electrochemical deblocking (CH3CN, Hg pool, NaHC03 in the anolyte) of the tribromoethyl moiety. The debenzoylation of the diester is accomplished using butylamine/ methanol to form adenylyl- (2 · , 51 ) adenylyl (2 * -51 ) 9-/S-D-arabinofuranosyladenine.

Preparation of 2',5'-I3 is described in Charubala et al., Tetrahedran Lett. 23, 4789 (1982), which is specifically incorporated herein by reference. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep Preparation of the trimer core 2 · , 5 · -Xylo-A3 and tetramer core 2 · , 51 -xylo-A4 is reported in Grosselin, G. and Imbach, J.L. , Tetrahedron Lett. 22, 4699 (1981), which is incorporated herein by reference. Accordingly, the trimer and tetramer core Xylo-A3 and Xylo-A4 are synthesized by treating N6 -3 ' -O-dibenzoylated xylofur- anose with t-butyldimethylsilyl-chloride to yield the silylated derivative of N6 -3 · -O-dibenzoylated xylofur- anose which is debenzoylated with sodium methoxide to form the 2· -silyl derivative. The primary hydroxyl of the 21 -silyl derivative is protected with a monomethoxy- trityl group and the resulting 5 ' -tritylated-21 -silyl derivative is reacted with an equimolar equivalent of benzoic anhydride dissolved in pyridine in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine to yield the Ne and 3-0- benzoylated-51 -tritylated-21 -silylated derivative . Removal of the t-butyldimethylsilyl group with tetra-butylammonium fluoride gives the N6 and 3-0-dibenzoyl- ated-51 -tritylated derivative which is successively benzoylated and detritylated to produce N6,2',3'-0-tribenzoylxyloadenosine .

The previous N6 and 3-0-dibenzoylated-5 ' -tritylated derivative is also reacted with an excess of o-chloro-phenyl-phosphoro-di- (1, 2 , 4-triazolide) in an acetoni-trile-pyridine mixture followed by a reaction with aqueous triethylamine to form the 21 -phosphotriester. The phosphotriester is condensed with N6 , 21 , 3 * -0-tribenz-oylxyloadenosine in the presence of 1-mesitylenesulfonyl-3-nitro-l , 2 , 4-triazole to yield the fully protected dinucleosidephosphotriester which is detritylated by treatment with p-toluenesulfonic acid in a mixture of chloroform and methanol (4:3). A final condensation between the detritylated product and the phosphotriester and purification by silica gel chromatography yields the fully protected trinucleosidediphosphotriester (blocker trimer core) . The fully deblocked trimer core is ob- 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep tained by treatment of the blocked trimer core with tetramethylguanidinium-s n-4-nitrobenzaldoximate, aqueous ammonia, and 80% acetic acid.

EHNA is prepared according to Evans et al . , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 92:4751 (1970). It may thereafter be condensed with suitably blocked adenosine by following the protection, condensation and deprotection methods described herein to form 21 , 5 ' -EHNA-A-A . In the same manner, 2 · , 5 * -C-C-dCF is prepared from dCF and adenosine. Methods for the preparation of dCF are set forth in U.S. Patent 3,923,785 and Baker et al . , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 101:6127 (1979), both incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, the 2-5A analog 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl- (2 , · 51 ) 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl- (2 · , 5 · ) 5, 6-dichloro-benzimidazole riboside is prepared by condensing commercially available 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside (Sigma, Cat. No. D5893) according to similar methods.

The preparation of the 2 · , 51 -oligoadenylate analogs utilized in the practice of the invention is illustrated in the following non-limiting examples.

Example 1 Preparation of Structurally Modified 21.51 -Adenylate Trimer Cores The various structurally modified novel trimer core analogs of 21 , 5 · -adenylate may generally be prepared as follows .

One mmole of suitably blocked adenosine-2 ' -phospho-diester having the general formula of reactant (I) was prepared from adenosine or cordycepin according to the method of Charubala, R. , Uhlmann, E., and Pfleiderer, W. , Liebigs Ann. Chem. , 2392 (1981) and Charubala, R. , and Pfleiderer, W. , Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 4077 (1980). Examples of suitably blocked adenosine-2 ' -phosphodiesters are represented by compounds 1 and 2, listed in Table 1. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep nt TABLE 1 Compound Compound Name No. R Pyridinium N6benzoyl-3 · -0-t-butyldimethylsilyl-51 -0-p_- 1 OSiTBD 2-chloro-methoxytrityladenosine-2- phenyl (2-chlorophenyl) -phosphate Pyridium N6 -benzoyl-51 -0-p_-methoxytrityl-3 ' -deoxyadenosine-21 - (2-chlorophenyl) -phosphate Reactant (I) was combined with a blocked nucleoside having the general formula of reactant (II) below. Reactant (II) is exemplified by compounds 3 - 9 listed in Table 2.

Reactant 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep TABLE 2 Compound Compound Name No.

N6 -benzoyl-2 · , 3 ' -di-O- 3 OSiTBD SiTBD N t-butyldimethylsilyl- adenosine N6 , 2 ' -0-dibenzoyl-3 ' - 4 H Bz N deoxyadenosine N6 -benzoyl-21 -O-acetyl- 5 H Ac N 3 * -deoxyadenosine N6 , 21 -0-dibenzoyl-3 · - 6 O-n-C.H^ Bz N 0-n-penty1adenosine N6 , 2 · -0-dibenzoyl-3 · - 7 0-n-C7H15 BZ N O-n-heptyladenosine N6 -benzoyl-2 ' -0-t- 8 NHCOOCH2 CH2 -^-N02 SiTBD N butyldimethylsilyl-31 -p-nitrophenyl-ethoxycarbonylamino-31 -deoxyadenosine 2 · , 3 > -di-O-t-butyl- 9 OSiTBD SiTBD CH dimethylsilyl-tubercidin Compounds 3. and 9 are prepared treating Ne -benzoy-lated adenosine with monomethoxytrityl chloride pyridine to yield the 51 -monomethoxytrityl derivative. The derivative is treated with t-butyldimethylsilylchlor-ide in a mixture of pyridine and methylimidazole to form the N6 -benzoyl-2 · , 31 -di-0-t-butyldimethylsilyl-51 -mono-methoxytrityladenosine. The trityl group is removed by acetic acid to produce compound 3.· Compound 9 is synthesized analogously, starting with N6 -benzoylated tubercidin. This method of preparation is a described in Charubala, et al., Liebigs Ann. Chem. 2392 (1981).

Compound 4 is prepared by treating N6 -benzoylated-3 '-deoxyadenosine with monomethoxytritylchloride to yield N6-benzoyl-5 ' -0-monomethoxytrityl-3 » -deoxyadenosine, which is converted to N6 -21 -0-dibenzoyl-31 -deoxyadenosine 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep by benzoylation of the 2' -hydroxy! group with benzoyl- chloride followed by detritylation with 80% acetic acid for 30 minutes. This method of preparation is as described in Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 4077 (1980) .

Compound 5 is prepared by converting N6 -benzoyl- adenosine with t-butyldiphenylchlorosilane to the 5'- silylated nucleoside in pyridine. The 5'-silylated nucleoside is treated with triethyl orthoacetate followed by boron trifluoride/diethyl ether and sodium iodide in CH3CN (0°C, 1 hour) to yield the 3 ' -iodoacetyl derivative. The iodoacetyl derivative is converted to compound 5 by treatment with tributyltinhydride in toluene (80° C, 1 hour) and desilylation with ammonium tetrabutyl fluoride in tetrahydrofuran. This method of preparation is as described by Engles, J., in Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 4339 (1980) , which is incorporated herein by reference.

Compounds 6 and 7 are prepared by treating N6-benzoyl adenosine with tritylchloride in pyridine and refluxing for 2 hours. N6 -benzoyl-5 * -trityladenosine is isolated by extraction with chloroform. The water from the chloroform phase is removed by drying with sodium sulfate. N6 -benzoyl-2 ' , 5 · -di-0-trityladenosine and N6-benzoyl-31 , 5 ' -di-0-trityladenosine are isolated by preparative silica gel thin layer chromatography in chloroform/ethanol . Compounds 5. and 7 are prepared by treating the isolated compounds with n-pentylchloride and n-heptylchloride, respectively, under reflux in a suspension of sodium hydroxide in benzene. The solution is neutralized by refluxing in acetic acid followed by the addition of diethyl ether and water. The reaction products are extracted with chloroform followed by thin layer chromatography with chloroform: methanol (4:1) on silica gel plates. The trityl and benzoyl groups are removed by refluxing in acetic acid for one hour, cooling, extraction with diethyl ether, followed by concentration and cooling to yield crystalline compounds 6 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep and 7. This method of preparation is carried out according to Blank, H.U. , Franne, D. , Myles, A. and Pfleiderer, W., Justus Liebigs Ann. Chem. 742. 34 (1970), which is incorporated herein by reference.

Compound 8 was prepared as follows. 1 mmole of 3'-amino-31 -deoxyadenosine was reacted with 1.2 mmole of 1-methyl-3-nitrophenylethoxy carboxylimidazolium chloride in dimethylformamide, followed by the addition of hexa-methyldisilazane to block the 2', 5' and 6-amino positions. 1.1 mmole of benzoyl chloride in pyridine was added at room temperature to produce blocked N6-benzoyl-2 ' , 5 · -disilyladenosine. The reaction mixture was poured into methanol-NHg to remove the 2' and 5' silyl groups. Reaction with M Tr chloride in pyridine yielded the 51-MMTr derivative. Tert-butyldimethylsilyl chloride in a mixture of pyridine and 1-methylimidazole was then added to the 5 ' -MMTr derivative and 5 · -detritylated as in Example 1 to form compound 8..

Reactants (I) and (II) were combined to produce the intermediate having the general formula of dimer (III) as follows. 0.95 Mmole of reactant (II) and condensing reagents 2 , 4 , 6-triisopropylbenzenesulfonyl chloride (2 mmole) and 1-methyl imidazole (6 mmole) were combined and stirred for 1 hr at room temperature. The reaction is stopped by adding 30 ml of aqueous phosphate buffer pH 7 and extracted with 150 ml of chloroform. The chloroform layer was washed twice with 50 ml of water, dried over sodium sulfate about 1-2 hrs and filtered. The chloroform was evaporated to a small volume and then applied to a silica gel column (20 x 2.5 cm) for purification. Chromatography was performed first with chloroform and then with chloroform/methanol (99/1, v/v) to elute the fully protected dinucleosidemonophosphotriester produce of the general formula of dimer (III) . Evaporation gave a solid foam of dimer (III) exemplified by compounds 10-17 (Table 3) . 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep Compound 10 MMTr OSiTBD OBZ Bz N 18 H 11 MMTr OSiTBD H Ac N 19 H 12 MMTr OSiTBD OSiTBD SiTBD CH 20 H 13 MMTr OSiTBD O-n-C^ 1 Bz N 21 H 14 MMTr OSiTBD 0-n-C.Hj 5 Bz N 22 H 15 MMTr H OBz Bz N 23 H 16 MMTr H H Bz N 24 H 17 MMTr OSiTBD NHCOOCH2 CH2" The fully protected 2 · , 51 -trinucleosidediphospho- ditriester, having the general formula of trimer (IV) and exemplified by compounds 26 - 34 (Table 4, below), was prepared from the 5 ' -detritylated dimer (III) as follows. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep -24- 106709/2 TABLE 4 Coinpound No. R R1 R2 R3 X 26 H OSiTBD OBz Bz N 27 H OSiTBD H Ac N 28 OSiTBD OSiTBD OSiTBD SiTBD CH 29 OSiTBD OSiTBD 0-n-C3H1 1 Bz N 30 OSiTBD OSiTBD 0-n-C7H, 5 Bz N 31 OSiTBD OSiTBD OBz BZ N 32 H H OBZ BZ N 33 OSiTBD H H Bz N 34 OSiTBD OSiTBD NHCOO'CHj CH2 -@-N0, SiTBD N 1.05 mMole of the starting adenosine-2 ' -phospho-diester (reactant (I) ) , was condensed with 1 mmole of the 5 ' -detritylated dimmer (III) (compounds 18 - 25) in 10 ml of absolute pyridine using 3 mmole of 2 , 4 , 6-triisopropyl-benzenesulfonyl chloride and 9 mmole of 1-methylimidazole as condensing agents. Work-up was performed after 2 hrs in the manner as described above. Quenching with phosphate buffer, followed by extraction with dichloromethane and silica gel chromatography in chloroform and chloroform/ methanol (99/1/ to 98/2, v/v) yielded 70-90% of fully protected trimer (IV) (compounds 26 - 34.) , as a chromatographically pure amorphous powder.

The fully protected 2 · -5 ' -trinucleosidediphospho-ditriester, trimer (IV) , was deprotected to trimer core (V) as follows. 0.01 mMole of trimer (IV) was treated with a solution of 0.073 g β-nitrobenzaldoxime and 0.07 g tetra- ethylguanidine in 2 ml of dioxane water (1/1, v/v) for 16 hrs at room temperature to deblock the o-chlorophenyl group. After evaporation to dryness and coevaporation four times with water, 20 ml of concentrated ammonium hydroxide was added and the solution stirred for 2 days 6056-13 (CIP 2 ) /tep at room temperature to deprotect the acyl groups. The solution was then evaporated again, and the residue was dissolved in 25 ml of water and washed four times with 10 ml of chloroform each time. The water layer was evaporated to dryness and coevaporated ten times with 10 ml absolute pyridine each time. The residue was then treated with 2 ml of an 0.5 M solution of anhydrous tetrabutylammonium fluoride in absolute pyridine for 16 hrs to remove the t-butyldimethylsilyl groups. After evaporation, treatment of the residue with 5 ml of 80% acetic acid for 6 hrs at room temperature lead to cleavage of the p_-methoxytrityl group. The solution was again evaporated, the residue dissolved in 15 ml of water, and extracted four times with 5 ml of chloroform each time. The aqueous layer was evaporated and then coevaporated several times with water until the smell of acetic acid disappeared. The residue was dissolved in 10 ml of water and applied to a DEAE-Sephadex A-25 column (60 x 1 cm) for ion-exchange chromatography with a gradient of 0.001 - 0.5 M triethylammonium bicarbonate. The main fraction was evaporated, then coevaporated several times with water. Trimer core (V) , a fully deprotected 2 ' , 51 -trinucleosidediphosphate, was isolated by lyophilization of the aqueous solution to give 70-90% of an amorphous solid. Trimer core (V) is exemplified by compounds 35 - 45. (Table 5) . 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep Compound Compound Name No . R R1 R2 R3 X 2 ' , 5 * -A-A-C 35 H OH OH H N 2 » , 5 · -C-A-C 36 H H OH H N 2 ' , 5 ' -A-A-TU 37 H OH OH OH CH 21 ,5' -A-A-A- 38 H OH OH O-n-C8Hj i N 3 ' -0-pentyl 2 ' , 5 ' -A-A-A- 39 H OH OH 0-n-C7H1 5 N 3 '-0-heptyl 2«,5'-A(si)- 40 H OSiTBD OSiTBD OH N A(Si)~A 2 ' , 5 ' -C-C-A 41 H H H OH N 21 ,5'-A-C-C 42 H OH H H N 2 ' , 51 -A-A- 43 H OH OH NH2 N 3 ' -amino 2' ,5*-Trityl-A3 44 MMTr OH OH OH N 21 ,5'-Trityl-C3 45 MMTr H H H N 21 , 51 -C-C-C- 46 H203P H H H N 51 -monophosphate 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep Example 2 Preparation of 3 * -O-t-butyldimethylsilyladenylyl (2 ' .5 » ) 3 ' -O-t-butyldimethylsilyladenylyl ( 2 ' .5 ' ) adenosine 0.01 mMole of N6 -benzoyl-3 ' -O-t-butyldimethylsilyl- 5 ' -0-p_-methoxytrityl adenylyl ( 2 ? -o-chlorophenyl-5 * ) Ne - benzoyl-3 · -O-t-butyldimethylsilyladenylyl (21 -o-chlorophenyl-5 ') N6 , 21 -0 , 31 -O-tribenzoyladenosine (compound 31, Table 4) was treated according to the procedure of Example 1, except that the deprotection step of treatment with tetrabutylammonium fluoride was omitted, in order to produce 21 , 51 -A (gj -A si) _A (compound 40, Table 5).

Example 3 Preparation of adenylyl ( 2 ' , 5 ' ) adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) 3 ' -amino-3 ' -deoxyadenosine 0.01 .mMo le of N6 -benzoyl-3 * -O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-5 ' -0-p_-methoxytrityl adenylyl ( 2 ' -o-chlorophenyl-5 · ) N6 -benzoyl-3 ' - O-t-butyldimethylsilyladenylyl (21 -o-chlorophenyl-5 ' ) N6 -benzoyl- 2 ' -0-t-butyldimethylsilyl-3 ' -p.-nitrophenylethoxycarbonylamino-31 -deoxyadenosine (compound 34, Table 4) was treated according to the deprotection procedure of Example 1 wherein the p_-nitrophen-ylethoxycarbonyl group was cleaved simultaneously with the silyl groups by tetrabutylammonium fluoride in a β-elimination process. Subsequent decarboxylation yields 2 ' , 5 * -A-A-31 -amino (compound 4_3, Table 5) .

Example 4 Preparation of 5 · 0-p.-methoxytrityladenylyl ( 2 ' .5 ' ) adenylyl ( 2 ' .5 ' ) adenosine 0.01 mMole of N6 -benzoyl-3 ' -O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-5 ' -O-p-methoxytrityladenylyl (2 ' -o-chlorophenyl-5 ' ) N6 -benzoyl-31 -O-t-butyldimethylsilyladenylyl (2 ' -o-chlorophenyl-5 * ) N6 , N6 -2 ' -0 , 31 -0-tetrabenzoyladenosine prepared according to the method of Charubala, R. , Uhlmann, E. , and Pfleiderer, W. , Liebigs Ann. Chem. , 2392 (1981) was 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep denylyl (2 » -o-chlorophenyl-5 * ) N6 , N6 , 2 ' -Otribenzoyl-3 · - deoxyadenosine is prepared from 31 -deoxyadenosine by benzoylation, 5 ' -tosylation, and 2 · -phosphorylation, with formation of the dinucleoside phosphotriester, N6-benzoyl ( 2-o-chlorophenylphosphoryl-5) 3 · -deoxyadenosine, by treatment of the reaction products N6 -benzoyl (2-triethylammonium-o-chlorophenylphosphoryl-5) -51 -tosyl-31 - deoxyadenosine and 2 · -cyanoethylphosphoryl-o-chloro-phenyl-3 * -deoxyadenosine with triisopropylbenzenesul- fonyl-nitro-1, 2 , 4-triazolide. The fully blocked dimer thus formed is condensed with N6 , 2 · -0-dibenzoyl-3 ' -deoxyadenosine to form the trimer. 0.01 mM of this trimer prepared according to the method of Charubala, R. , and Pfleiderer, W. , Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 4077 (1980) was treated with 2 ml of a solution of 2% p-toluenesulfonic acid in dichloromethane/ methanol (7/3, v/v) for 30 minutes at room temperature to remove the p_-methoxytrityl group. Purification by silica gel chromatography on a preparative plate with chloroform/methanol (95/5, v/v) gave a 90% yield of the 51 -deprotected analog.

This product was dissolved in 1 ml of absolute pyridine and treated with 0.27 mmole of di--nitrophenyl-ethyl-phosphoryl chloride as described by Himmelsbach, F. , and Pfleiderer, . , Tetrahedron Lett. 23, 4973 (1982) for 1 hr. at room temperature. After dilution with 15 ml of chloroform, the reaction mixture was extracted three times with phosphate buffer pH 7. The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered, evaporated and coevaporated three times with 10 ml of toluene each time. The residue was purified by silica gel chromatography on preparative plates in chloroform/methanol (9/1, v/v) to yield 81% of 51 -0-di-p-nitrophenylethylphosphoryl-N6 -benzoyl-31 -deoxyadenylyl- ( 2 ' -o_-chlorophenyl-5 ' ) N6 -benzoyl -3 ' -deoxyadenylyl ( 21 -o-chlorophenyl-5 ' )N6 ,N6 , 2 · -0-tribenzoyl-3 ' -deoxyadenosine in the form of an amorphous solid. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep treated according to the deprotection procedure of Example 1 except that the last step of acetic acid treatment was omitted. The product, 2 * , 5 ' -trityl-A3 (compound 44., Table 5) was isolated, purified by DEAE- Sephadex A-25 chromatography, and lyophilized to form the amorphous pure compound 44. as a powder in 85% yield.

Example 5 Preparation of 5 · -0-p-methoxytrityl-3 · -deoxyadenylyl f2 ' .51 ) 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl f2 ' .5 ' ) 3 ' -deoxyadenosine 0.01 mMole of N6 -benzoyl-5 ' -0-p_-methoxytrityl-3 · - deoxyadenylyl ( 2 · -o-chlorophenyl-5 * ) N6 -benzoyl-3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (21 -o-chlorophenyl-5 ' )Ne ,N6 , 2 ' -0-tribenzoyl-3 »-deoxyadenosine prepared according to the method of Charu-bala, R. , and Pfleiderer, W. , Tetrahedron Lett. 21, 4077 (1980) was treated according to the deprotection procedure of Example 1 except that the steps of treatment with tetrabutylam onium fluoride and acetic acid were omitted. The product, 2 ' , 5 ' -trityl-C3 (compound 45, Table 5) was isolated, purified by DEAE-Sephadex A-25 chromatography and lyophilized to form the amorphous pure compound.

The 5 ' -monophosphates of the trimer core molecules of the present invention may be prepared from the fully blocked 2 ' , 51 -trinucleosidediphosphoditriester by detri-tylation as in Example 1 followed by reaction with di-p_-nitrophenyl-ethylphosphory1 chloride. Extraction, chromatography and deblocking according to Example 1 results in isolation of the 5 ' -monophosphate trimers. The preparation is exemplified in the method of Example 6.

Example 6 Preparation of 5 ' -O-phosphoryl-3 ' -deoxyadenylyl ( 2 ' .5 ' ) 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl ( 2 ' .5 ' ) 3 '-deoxyadenosine 0.1 fn ole of N6 -benzoyl-5 ' -O-p-methoxytrityl-3 * -deoxyadenylyl (2 ' -o-chlorophenyl-51 ) N6 -benzoyl-3 ' -deoxya- 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep 0.01 mMole of the latter material was treated with o-nitrobenzaldoximate according to the deprotection procedure of Example 1 to remove o-chlorophehyl blocking groups. After evaporation to dryness and several coevap-orations with absolute pyridine, the deprotected product was dissolved in 10 ml of a 0.5 M solution of diazabi-cyclo [4.3.0]undecene in absolute pyridine and stirred for 36 hours at room temperature to cleave the p_-nitro-phenylethyl group by -elimination. The solution was again evaporated and then treated with 20 ml of concentrated ammonium hydroxide for 24 hours at room temperature. Purification and isolation of the trimer core 5·-monophosphate (compound 46, Table 5) was achieved by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and lyophilization of the main fraction.

The tetra er core molecules of the present invention may be prepared by following the method of Examples 7 or 8.

Example 7 Preparation of adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) adenylyl (2 · ,5 ' ) 3 '- deoxyadenylyl ( 2 ' .5 ' ) 3 ' -deoxyadenosine 0.5 "mMole of fully-protected compound 47 having the formula (VI) and 0.4 mmole of N6 -benzoyl-3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (2 ' -o-chlorophenyl-5 ' ) N6 , 2 · -0-dibenzoyl-3 ' -deoxyadenosine (compound 24., Table 3) were dissolved in 5 ml of absolute pyridine. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep Following addition of 1 mmole of 2 , 4 , 6-triisopropyl-benzenesulfonyl chloride and 3 mmole of 1-methylimidaz-one, the mixture was stirred for 2 hrs at room temperature. The solution was diluted with 400 ml of chloroform, washed twice with 400 ml of water, then the organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated to dryness. The residue was coevaporated twice with 50 ml of toluene. Purification was achieved by chromatography on a silica gel column (20 x 2.5 cm) first with chloroform and then with a gradient of chloroform/methan-ol of 99/1 to 98/2 (v/v) . On evaporation, the main fraction gave compound 48 (Table 6) as a solid foam in 80% yield. Compound 48 is a fully blocked 21 , 5 * -tetra-nucleosidetriphosphotritriester according to the general formula of tetramer core (VII) , below. Deprotection of the blocking groups was performed by the procedure of Example 1 to yield 21 , 51 -A-A-C-C (compound 49, Table 6). DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, evaporation and lyophiliza-tion resulted in an amorphous solid in 80% yield. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep TABLE 6 Compound No. R R1 R2 R3 MMTr SiTBD 2-chlorophenyl H H H Example 8 Preparation of 31 -deoxyadenylyl (2 * , 5 * ) 3 '- deoxyadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) 3 · -deoxyadenylyl (21.5 ' ) 3 ' -deoxyadenosine 0.1 mMole of N6 -benzoyl-5 ' -O-p-methoxytrityl-31 -deoxyadenylyl (2 ' -o-chlorophenyl-5 ' ) N6 -benzoyl-31 -deoxyadenylyl ( 21 -o-chlorophenyl-5 ') N6 , N6 , 2 ' -O-tribenzoyl-3 ' -deoxyadenosine (compound 5.0, Table 7), a fully-blocked 6056-13 (CIP 2) 21 , 5 * -trinucleosidediphosphoditriester according to the general formula of reactant (VIII) , TABLE 7 Compound No. R 50 MMTr 51 H was treated with 2 ml of a 2% solution of p_-toluenesul-fonic acid in dichloromethane/methanol (4/1, v/v) for 30 minutes at room temperature. The reaction was stopped by adding 20 ml of phosphate buffer pH 7. The solution was extracted several times with 200 ml of chloroform. The organic layer was washed with water, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated to a small volume for purification on preparative silica gel plates in chloro-form/methanol (95/5, v/v) . The main band was eluted by chloroform/methanol (4/1, v/v) to give the 5*-detri- 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep 106709 2 -34- tylated compound 51 (Table 7) upon evaporation in 80% yield. 0.05 mMole of compound 5JL (Table 7) was then condensed with 0.1 itunole of pyridiniura N6 -benzoyl -5 · -0-p_- methoxytri tyl-3 '-deox adenosine-21- ( 2-o-chlorophenyl) phosphate (compound 2, Table 1) in 0.6 ml of absolute pyridine in the presence of 0.2 m ole of 2 , 4 , 6-triisopro- pylbenzene-sulfonyl chloride and 0.6 mmole of 1-methyl- imidazole for 2 hrs at room temperature. The solution was diluted with 100 ml of chloroform, washed twice with water, dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated to a small volume for separation on preparative silica gel plates in chloroform/methanol (95/5, v/v) . The main band was eluted with chloroform to give the fully-protected 2', 5 ' -tetranucleosidetriphosphotritriester compound 52 (Table 8, below) as an amorphous solid upon evaporation in 84% yield.

The blocking groups of compound 52. were removed according to the procedure of Example 1, followed by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and lyophilization. Tetra-mer core 2 ' , 5 ' -C-C-C-C (compound 52, Table 8) resulted as an amorphous solid in 70% yield. The structure of compound 53. is according to the general formula of tetramer core (IX) .

The 51 -O-monophosphates of the tetramer core molecules of the present invention may be prepared from the fully blocked 2 ' , 5 ' -tetranucleosidetriphosphotritri-ester by 5 ' -detritylation as in Example 1 followed by reaction with di-p_-nitrophenylethylphosphoryl chloride. Extraction, chromatography and deblocking according to Example 1 results in isolation of the 5 * -O-monophosphate tetramers. The preparation is exemplified in Example 6, above . 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep TABLE 8 Compound R R1 No.

MMTr 2-chlorophenyl H H The 51 -diphosphate and 51 -triphosphate of the trimer and tetramer core molecules of the present invention may be prepared by adding 0.5 mM of tributylammonium pyrophosphate dissolved in 5 ml of dimethylformamide to 0.1 mM of monophosphorylated core as the anhydrous tributylammonium salt in 1 ml of dimethylformamide and 0.5 mM of 1 , 1 ' -carbonyldiimidazole. After 20 hours at 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep room temperature, the reactants are treated with 5 ml of methanol, evaporated to dryness and chromatographed on a 2 x 20 cm DEAE cellulose column. The 5 · -di and triphosphates are isolated following a linear gradient (0-0.4M in 3 1 at pH 7.5) of triethylammoniumbicarbonate. This is the method of Hoard, D.E., and Ott, D.G., J. Amer. Che . Soc. 87, 1785-1788 (1965) , which is incorporated herein by reference. The 5 · -diphosphates and 5 '-triphosphates may then be purified by DEAE-Sephadex A25 and Sephadex G-10 chromatography.

Structural modification of the 2 · , 5 · -oligoadenylate molecule at the 2' -terminal nucleoside, aglycon and/or ribosyl moiety have provided molecules that are potent inhibitors of virus replication, particularly replication of retroviruses, such as HIV. These synthetic molecules are biologically more active and metabolically more stable than the naturally occurring 21 , 5 · -oligoadenylate molecule.

The antiretroviral activity of the compounds of the present invention is demonstrated by the following experimental methods in which any of the core compounds of the invention or their 5' mono, -di-, or triphosphate counterparts may be substituted for any of the analogs in the following experiments with the efficacy disclosed for such compounds in the specification.

According to the following experiment, the 2',5*-oligoadenylate analogs were observed to inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity and protect target cells from HIV-1 infection in vitro.

Example 9 Inhibition Of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Activity In Vitro Cells and Virus. Cells of highly HIV-1 permissive T-cell line MT-2 (Miyoshi et al., Nature 294 ; 770-771 (1981)) were used as target cells for infection while with HIV-1 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep (HTLV-IIIB) produced in H9 cells (Popovic et al., Science 224: 497-500 (1984)). Stock cultures were grown and maintained in RPMI-1640 containing 12% heat inactivated fetal bovine serum and 50 microgram gentamicin/ml and incubated at 37° C. Viral titers in this study, which are given as a multiplicity of infection (i.e., infectious virus particles/cell) , were calculated from 50% tissue culture infectious dose values obtained by end-point microtitration on MT-2 cells as described in Montefiori et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 26: 231-235 (1987).

Reverse Transcriptase Assays. Virus was concentrated from cell-free (0.45 micromolar-filtered) conditioned H9/HTLV-IIIB culture supernatants by centrifugation at 18,000 r.p.m. for 4 hrs at 20° C in a Beckman JA-20 rotor. A viral pellet obtained from 50 ml of conditioned culture fluid was dissolved in 0.5 mL of a solution containing 17 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.8), 3mM dithiothreitol (DTT) , 55 mM KC1, 0.32% w/v Triton X-100, and 33% glycerol. This viral lysate was stored at -20° C and was used as a source of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Reverse transcriptase reactions were performed in 100 uL reaction volumes containing 40 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.8), 4 mM DTT, 50 mM KC1, 10 mM MgCl2 , 0.0325% w/v Triton X-100, 3 micromolar [33H]dTTP (80 Ci/mmol,NEN) and poly (A) . (dT) .5 (2.5 microgram/mL) template-primer after the addition of 10 microliter enzyme. Inhibitors were added at various concentrations after adjusting water volumes so that reaction volumes remained constant. Reactions were incubated at 37° C for 1 hr in a humidified environment and terminated by adding 2 mL of 10% cold trichloroacetic acid. Precipitate was collected on 0.45 micron cellulose-acetate Millipore filters which were then dissolved in 10 mL of 3a70B aqueous scintillant and the counts per minute quantitated using a Beckman LS 6800 liquid scintillation spectrometer. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep Infection Assays. Anti-HIV-1 activities of various compounds were detected and quantitated by an in vitro microtiter infection assay as previously described by Montefiori, supra . Briefly, MT-2 cells were added to 96- 5 well microdilution plates containing 2-fold serial dilutions of effector in triplicate. Virus was added at a multiplicity of infection of 1 and the plates incubated at 37° C in a humidified 5% C02/air environment for 4 days. Viable cells were then quantitated by vital dye 10 (neutral red) uptake of poly-L-lysine adherent cells as a measure of cytopathic effect. At this time, virus control wells (cells and virus in the absence of effectors) exhibited greater than 90% cytolysis. Percent protection was defined by the range of A540 readings 15 occurring between cell control wells (cells in the absence of virus and effectors) and virus control wells.

Cell Toxicity Assays . Cell toxicities were quantitated using MT-2 cells in microdilution plates as described above with the exceptions of omitting virus and replacing 20 virus control wells with empty (blank) wells. The range of As 40 readings occurring between cell control wells and blank wells was used to calculate percent viable cells in test wells after 3 days incubation.

} The effects of analogues of 2-5A on HIV-1 reverse 25 transcriptase activity are shown in Table 9 and in Figure 1. Concentration-dependent inhibition of enzyme activity was observed, for instance, with 2 ' , 5 ' -cordycepin trimer core (C3), trimer 5 ' -mono-, di and triphosphates (pC3 , p2C3, p3C3), 2 *, 5 * -cordycepin tetramer 5 * -monophosphate 30 (pC4 ) , in addition to 2',5'-A-C-A. (Figure 1) The 2 ', 51 -cordycepin trimer 51 -triphosphate (p3C3) was the most effective inhibitor (100% inhibition at 60 micromo- lar) , followed by the 5, 6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside 2 · ,5' -trimer (73% inhibition at 200 micromolar) , 2',5·- 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep pC4 (58% inhibition at 100 micromolar), 2 · , 5 · -A-A-ara-A (53% inhibition at 200 micromolar) and 2,,5»-A-C-A (50% at 200 micromolar) . (Table 9) 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep TABLE 9 Effect of 2-5A Analogues on HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Activity 2-5A or 2·, 5» Concentration Percent Analocate (micromolar) Inhibitio] (adenosine) A 400 0 A3 200 0 PA3 200 29 PaA8 200 0 cordycepin (C) 400 0 200 31 pc3 200 P3C3 60 62 200 39 PC4 100 58 A-C-C 200 42 A-A-C 200 16 C-A-C 200 36b A-C-A 200 58 A-A-C-C 200 35b A-A-C-A 200 7 PI3 200 35 A-A-ara-A 200 53 Tu-Tu-Tu 200 41 xylo-A4 200 15 A-A-A-3 · -amino 200 43 EHNA-A-A 200 36 5, 6-dichlorobenzimid- 200 73 azylyl (2 · -5 · ) -5, 6-di-chlorobenzimidazylyl-(21 , 5 · ) -5 , 6-dichloro- , benzimidazole riboside Values for control reactions (i.e. no inhibitor present) were greater than 180,000 cpm while blank reaction (no enzyme present) values were less than 12,000 cpm. k Average of two or more experiments. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep Results of infection assays with certain of the 2-5A analogues are shown in Figure 2. Referring to Figure 2, concentration-dependent anti-HIV-1 activity was observed for 21 , 5 ' -cordycepin trimer core (I) and 5'-monophosphate (IV) at exogenous concentrations of 8-250 micromolar, and for 2,,5'-A-C-A (V) at 1-8 micromolar. These activities were 84%, 80% and 81%, respectively, of the optimum anti-HIV-1 activity provided by mismatched dsRNA (data not shown) . This is quite significant anti-HIV activity considering that mismatched dsRNA is a potent anti-HIV drug in vitro. ontefiori et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84: 2985-2989 (1987). Less potent concentration- dependent anti-HIV-1 activity was observed for 2»,5·-ρ<:4 (VI) at 12.5-50 micromolar. No cell toxicity was observed for C3 and A-C-A at the most effective concentrations, while mild toxicity was observed for pC3 and pC4 at some of these optimal antiviral concentrations.

In contrast, cordycepin (I) (0.31-10 micromolar) and 2 · , 5 * -oligoadenylate trimer core (II) (8-250 micromolar) demonstrated no antiviral activity. Cell toxicity was observed at exogenous concentrations greater than 2.5 micromolar for cordycepin while no toxicity was observed at any concentrations of 2 ', 5 * -oligoadenylate trimer core tested. The 2 *, 5 * -cordycepin tetramer 5 ' -monophosphate (VI) demonstrated weak anti-HIV-1 activity in vitro (30-38% protection of exogenous concentrations of 12.5 to 50 micromolar) while concentrations greater than 50 micromolar were toxic to the cells (data not shown) .

In the same infection assay, 21 , 5 ' -xylo-A4 provided 100% inhibition at 150 micromolar concentration (91% at 75 micromolar), while 2 ' , 5 ' -A-A-A-31 -amino provided 100% inhibition at 75 micromolar. No toxicity was observed at these dosages. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep - - When combined with other drugs, the 2-5A analogs may exhibit synergism with respect to anti-HIV activity, as demonstrated in the following experiment.

Example 10 The ability of 21 , 5 ' -C3 to potentiate or abrogate the in vitro antiviral activities of recombinant β -interferon (rIFN-aA) and a mismatched dsRNA inducer of interferon was tested. A standard checkerboard analysis was performed at 8 non-toxic concentrations of each drug alone and in combination. The data were, analyzed by the method of Chou and Talay, Adv. Enzyme Regul. 22:27-55 (1984) . Briefly, combined drug effects were calculated from percent protection values. A combination index (CI) was calculated from the slopes of dose-effect curves and plotted against the percent protection values, or fraction affected. CI values of <1 indicate synergy. Values >1 indicate antagonism. Values equal to 1 indicate additiveness. The results are shown in Figure 3. The 2 · , 5 ' -cordycepin trimer core demonstrated strong synergism with both rIFN-aA and mismatched dsRNA at the most effective doses of each drug tested. Synergism was stronger for rIFN-aA than for mismatched dsRNA.

All references herein cited with respect to synthetic or analytical procedures are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific, forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention. 6056-13 (CIP 2) /tep 106709/2

Claims (15)

1. A pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of a mammal against infection by viruses which have retroviral-like replication, comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and at least one compound selected from the group of the following compounds, or the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphates thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them: 3'-deoxyadenylyl(2' , 5 ' ) 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (2' ,5' )-(R)-3~(2-deoxy-p-D-erythropentofuranosyl ) -3 , 6 , 7.8-tetrahydroimidazo[4 , 5~d] [1,3]-diazepine-8-ol, adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) tubercidin , tubercidylyl (2 * , 5 ' ) tubercidylyl (2 · , 5 * ) tubercidin , adenylyl (2 ' ,5' ) adenylyl (2 ' ,5' )9"^"D-arabinofuranosyladenine, inosinylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) inosinylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) inosine , xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) xyloadenylyl (2 * , 5 ' ) yloadenosine , xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' )xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) -xyloadenosine , erythro-9 (2-hydroxy-3-nonyl ) adenylyl (2 ' ,5' )adenylyl(2' ,5' )-adenosine , 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl (2 ' 5 ' ) 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl-(2 ' 5 ' ) 5 , 6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside .

2. A composition according to claim 1 for counteracting HIV infection.

3. · A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) 3 ' -deoxyadenylyl (21 , 5 ' ) ~ (R) ~3~ (2-deoxy-β-D-erythropentofuranosyl) ~3 , 6 ,7.8-tetrahydroimidazo[ , 5"d] [1 , 3]~ diazepine-8-ol, the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

4. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) tubercidin, the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

5. · A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) adenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) 9_P-D-arabinofuranosyladenine , the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

6. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises inosinylyl(2* ,5' )inosinylyl(2' ,5' )inosine, the 5' mono-, di-or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

7. · A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' )xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' )xyloadenosine , the 5 ' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

8. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) yloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' )xyloadenylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) -xyloadenosine, the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them. - i+5 - 106709/2

9. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises tubercidylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) tubercidylyl (2 ' , 5 ' ) tubercidin , the 5 ' mono- , di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

10. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises erythro-9 (2-hydroxy-3~nonyl) adenylyl (2 ' ,5' )adenylyl(2' ,5' )~ adenosine, the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

11. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the compound comprises 5.6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl (215 ' ) 516-dichlorobenzimidazylyl-(2'5' )5t -dichlorobenzimidazole, the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

12. Ery_thro-9(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenylyl (2' ,5' ) adenylyl (2' ,5' )-adenosine, or the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, -or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

13. · 5 , 6-Dichlorobenziinidazylyl (2 ' 5 ' ) 5.6-dichlorobenzimidazylyl- (2'5' )5.6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside, or the 5' mono-, di- or triphosphate thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of them.

14. A composition according to claim 1 , for the treatment of chronic virus infection.

15. A composition according to claim 1 , for the treatment of hepatitis infection. • For the Applicants , Sanford T. Colb & Co. C: I743I I-IO62