Inactivators of herpes simplex virus ribonucleotide reductase: hematological profiles and in vivo potentiation of the antiviral activity of acyclovir.

A1110U (BW 1110U81) is an inactivator of herpesvirus ribonucleotide reductases and a potentiator of the antiviral activity of acyclovir (ACV) (T. Spector, J. A. Harrington, R. W. Morrison, Jr., C. U. Lambe, D. J. Nelson, D. R. Averett, K. Biron, and P. A. Furman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:1051-1055, 1989) that was subsequently found to cause hematological toxicity at high oral doses in rats. Eleven structurally related inactivators of herpes simplex virus (HSV) ribonucleotide reductase were therefore tested in vivo for hematological toxicity and for potentiation of ACV. None of the novel ribonucleotide reductase inactivators was hematologically toxic to rats following oral dosing at 60 mg/kg/day for 30 days. Four of these inactivators statistically improved the antiviral topical potency of ACV on HSV type 1-infected nude mice. A promising compound, 2-acetylpyridine 5-[(2-chloroanilino)thiocarbonyl]thiocarbonohydrazone (BW 348U87), was studied more extensively in two in vivo models: dorsum-infected athymic nude mice and snout-infected hairless mice. BW 348U87 significantly potentiated the antiviral activity of ACV against all virus strains tested, i.e., wild-type (ACV-sensitive) HSV type 1 and HSV type 2 strains and three mutant (ACV-resistant) HSV type 1 strains. The latter included a virus expressing a DNA polymerase resistant to inhibition by ACV triphosphate, a virus deficient in thymidine kinase (the enzyme responsible for phosphorylating ACV), and a virus expressing an altered thymidine kinase, which catalyzes the normal phosphorylation of thymidine but not of ACV. BW 348U87 and ACV are currently being developed as a combination topical therapy for cutaneous herpes infections.