Ribonucleotide reductase and thymidine phosphorylation: two potential targets of azodicarbonamide.

Azodicarbonamide tested as an anti-HIV agent was reported to expulse zinc from viral zinc-cysteine factors and to inhibit calcium mobilization machinery. It has structural analogy with hydroxyurea that inhibits ribonucleotide reductase and could also act on this target. Azodicarbonamide was therefore tested for its capacity to modulate deoxyribonucleotides triphosphate pools alone or in combination with other agents in the lymphoblastic SUP-T1 cell line susceptible to HIV infection.