Amino acids attached to 2'-amino-LNA: synthesis and excellent duplex stability.

The synthesis of 2'-amino-LNA (the 2'-amino derivative of locked nucleic acid) has opened up a number of exciting possibilities with respect to modified nucleic acids. While maintaining the excellent duplex stability inferred by LNA-type oligonucleotides, the nitrogen in the 2'-position of 2'-amino-LNA monomers provides an excellent handle for functionalisation. Herein, the synthesis of amino acid functionalised 2'-amino-LNA derivatives is described.

Stereoselective synthesis and biological evaluations of novel 3'-deoxy-4'-azaribonucleosides as inhibitors of hepatitis C virus RNA replication.

3'-Deoxy-4'-azaribonucleosides (15a-d) were synthesized starting from the commercially available (4R)-trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline 7. From biological evaluations, 15b and 15d emerged as potent inhibitors of HCV replication on a replicon assay. These findings demonstrate that synthesized pyrrolidine nucleosides represent a new template for antiviral or other biological studies and could be considered for novel combination therapy against HCV infection using nucleoside inhibitors and non-nucleoside inhibitors of HCV NS5B.