ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the antiviral activity of purines and pyrimidines, including the arabinosyl nucleosides and nucleotides. It also discusses two compound: arabinofuranosylcytosine (ARA-C) and arabinofuranosyladenine (Ara-A). Ara-C, a useful drug for treatment of several kinds of leukemia, is readily available for clinical use. Indeed, it has been employed in a very limited fashion for the treatment of severe and life-threatening herpetic infections of man. Ara-A possess broad spectrum antiviral activity chiefly against DNA viruses in cell cultures and laboratory animals Ara-A, however, is much less toxic than Ara-C in these systems and appears to be a promising antiviral chemotherapeutic agent. As a result of the combined efforts of organic chemists, biochemists, virologists, pharmacologists, clinicians, and others, at least two of the arabinosyl nucleosides, Ara-C and Ara-A, have emerged as potentially useful antiviral compounds for treatment of human viral infections. Both compounds have been extensively tested for antiviral activity and toxicity in cell cultures and various animal models.
