Design, Synthesis, and Anti-HBV Activity of New Bis(l-amino acid) Ester Tenofovir Prodrugs.

A series of bis(l-amino acid) ester prodrugs of tenofovir (TFV) were designed and synthesized as new anti-HBV agents in this work. Four compounds 11, 12a, 12d, and 13b displayed better anti-HBV activity (IC50: 0.71-4.22 μM) than the parent drug TFV. The most active compound 11 (IC50: 0.71 μM), a bis(l-valine) ester prodrug of TFV, was found to have obviously greater AUC0-∞, C max, and F% than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), and potent in vivo efficacy which is not inferior to TDF in a duck HBV (DHBV) model and a HBV DNA hydrodynamic mouse model, and it may serve as a promising lead compound for further anti-HBV drug discovery.