Solid-phase synthesis and screening of macrocyclic nucleotide-hybrid compounds targeted to hepatitis C NS5B

A convergent strategy for the synthesis of cyclic nucleotide-hybrid molecules on controlled pore glass is reported. A major advantage of the approach is the lack of restrictions on the sequence and structural variation, allowing the incorporation of modified ribonucleosides (such as 2'-OMe-ribonucleotides), as well as threoninol derivatives. This methodology allows a fully automated assembly by means of standard phosphoramidite chemistry and is based on a recently published procedure for the preparation of cyclic oligodinucleotides in the DNA series (M. Smietana, E. T. Kool, Angew. Chem. 2002, 114, 3856-3859; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2002, 41, 3704-3707). A library of potential cyclic hybrid inhibitor compounds targeting hepatitis C virus NS5B enzyme (the replicating polymerase of HCV) was generated by means of the parallel-pool strategy. Screening of the library revealed that cyclic hybrid c(C(OME)EthenodA) was a significant inhibitor of NS5B, with an IC(50) of 40 microM. Preliminary structure-activity studies of this lead compound are described.