[Pyrrolo(3,2-d)pyrimidines as potential antitumor agents]

Antibacterial and antitumor properties of pyrrolo (3,2-d) pyrimidines having diverse substituents in the second, fourth and sixth position were investigated. Forty-four compounds were examined in vitro and 20 in vivo. A number of the derivatives were shown to inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis H37Rv and lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus casei 7469. Antibacterial activity depends on the character of the substituents in positions 2, 4 and 6. The tested compounds when administered per os to mice with sarcoma 180 (a solid variety) proved several dozen times less toxic than 6-mercaptopurine. Some of them inhibited the tumour growth up to 50%. The data obtained in vitro experiments indicate that the mechanism of the antitumour action of pyrrolo (3,2-d) yrimidines from that of 6-mercaptopurine.