Broad-spectrum antiviral activity of the carbocyclic analog of 3-deazaadenosine.

The carbocyclic analog of 3-deazaadenosine (C-c3 Ado) was found to inhibit in vitro the replication of several DNA and RNA viruses, including vaccinia, reo, measles, parainfluenza and vesicular stomatitis, at a concentration of 0.2-1 microgram/ml, while not being toxic for the host (primary rabbit kidney, HeLa, Vero) cells at a concentration of 400 micrograms/Ml. In its activity against vesicular stomatitis virus, parainfluenza virus, measles and reo virus, C-c3 Ado proved about 100 times more potent than other established broad-spectrum antiviraL agents such as ribavirin (virazole) and (S)-DHPA ((S)-9-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)adenine). In vivo, C-c3 Ado protected newborn mice against a lethal infection of vesicular stomatitis virus when administered as a single dose of 20, 100 or 500 micrograms per mouse 1 h after virus infection.