Purine nucleosides

What are Purine nucleosides?

Purine nucleosides are antiviral agents that have selective activity against herpes simplex virus types 1 (cold sores) and 2 (genital herpes) and varicella zoster virus (chicken pox).

The purine nucleoside molecule is converted to a monophosphate by viral thymidine kinases. The monophosphate is then converted to diphosphate and then into a triphosphate form by cellular enzymes. The triphosphate form blocks the replication of viral DNA by inhibiting viral DNA polymerase and terminating the growing viral DNA chain.

Purine nucleosides are more potent against the viral enzymes than the host enzymes.

Purine nucleosides have significant importance and pivotal effects in medicinal chemistry. Following the enormous developments in the novel synthetic strategies of the purine nucleosides, we surveyed the most recent and up-to-date synthetic approaches of the purine nucleosides that reflect its comprehensive importance in the different fields.

Consequently, the novel insights of a broad array of novel nucleosides have been demonstrated.

The purine nucleotides, namely adenosine monophosphate (AMP), guanosine monophosphate (GMP), and inosine monophosphate (IMP), are generally hydrolyzed by the action of nucleotidase enzymes to adenosine, guanosine, and inosine, respectively.