ABSTRACT
Deoxyinosines are a class of biologically important deoxynucleosides that have hypoxanthine as the nucleobase. They have been investigated as markers of cancer and other metabolic disorders. Some examples of these deoxynucleotides and their signi cance as markers are 2¢-deoxyinosine (1, Chart 2.1), an essential intermediate in the catabolism of adenine deoxynucleotides, used as a marker of altered purine metabolism; 5¢-deoxyinosine (2, Chart 2.1), which has been detected in the urine of leukemia patients; and 2¢-deoxyinosine, its derivatives, and other modi ed purine and pyrimidine bases found in DNA hydrolysates that have been exposed to genotoxic carcinogens. These base changes in the composition of DNA can lead to mutations in critical genes, such as those involved in the regulation of cellular growth. The study of these modi ed bases, at the nucleoside level, is essential to understand the development of various proliferative diseases at the molecular level. There are deoxyinosines, and related structures (such as 3¢-deoxyinosine (3, Chart 2.1), an antileishmaniasis agent, or didanosine (4, Chart 2.1), an antiretroviral drug used against AIDS, that are currently being used in the therapy of viral infections, microbial infections, and proliferative disorders and still other deoxyinosine-related compounds that are under investigation for their possible therapeutic value.
