New Analogues of Uridine as Possible Anti-Viral Agents Specific to SARS-CoV-2

• Published in: Molecular biology (New York) Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 469 - 473
• Main Authors: Maslova, A. A., Matyugina, E. C., Shustova, E. Yu, Volok, V. P., Kozlovskaya, L. I., Kochetkov, S. N., Khandazhinskaya, A. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antiviral activity; Antiviral agents; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; DNA-directed RNA polymerase; Drug development; Drugs; Human Genetics; Influenza; Life Sciences; RNA polymerase; RNA-directed RNA polymerase; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Structural and Functional Analysis of Biopolymers and Their Complexes; Uridine; synthesis; fleximers; coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2; Suzuki‒Miyaura reaction; nucleoside analogs
• ISSN: 0026-8933; 1608-3245
• DOI: 10.1134/S0026893322030098

The development of specific drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection is a major challenge facing global science and healthcare. Despite numerous attempts, there are still no truly effective drugs. Currently, the main approach in the creation of drugs against COVID-19 is repurposing, i.e., re-profiling existing drugs approved for medical use, for example, the use of a drug for the treatment of Ebola—Remdesivir, and the use of a drug for the treatment of influenza—Favipiravir. However, it is already obvious that these drugs are not specific enough nor effective enough. Another promising approach is the creation of new molecules, but it should be noted immediately that implementation requires much more time and costs. However, the search for new SARS-CoV-2 specific antiviral agents continues. The aim of our work was the creation of new 5-substituted uridine derivatives as potential inhibitors of coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The substances were obtained in high yields by the Suzuki‒Miyaura reaction and characterized using modern physicochemical methods. However, testing of their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 did not reveal a significant inhibitory effect.