Effects of suramin, HPA-23 and 3'-azidothymidine triphosphate on the reverse transcriptase of bovine leukaemia virus.

We used purified bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) to test the inhibitory effects of suramin, HPA-23, and 3'-azidothymidine triphosphate (N3dTTP) on the reverse transcriptase activity. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (ID50) of the compounds were determined to be 2.8 mumol/l (suramin), 8.0 mumol/l (HPA-23), and 0.17 mumol/l (N3dTTP). Kinetic analyses of suramin and HPA-23 inhibition are discussed. The observed inhibitory effects emphasize the suitability of BLV as a model virus for investigations of retrovirus chemotherapy.