Synthesis and Fluorescent Properties of 6-(4-Biphenylyl)-3,9-dihydro-9-oxo-5H-imidazo[1,2-A]purine Analogues of Acyclovir and Ganciclovir

Abstract

Tricyclic (T) analogues of acyclovir (ACV, 1) and ganciclovir (GCV, 2) carrying the 3,9-dihydro-9-oxo-5H-imidazo[1,2-a]purine system [i.e., 6-(4-BrPh)TACV, 5 and 6-(4-BrPh)TGCV, 6] were transformed into 6-[(4′-R²)-4-biphenylyl] derivatives of TACV (7–9) and TGCV (10–12) by Suzuki cross coupling with 4-substituted phenylboronic acids. Compound 11 (R² = CH₂OH) showed a high (～1000) selectivity index against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) together with advantageous fluorescence properties (emission in visible region, little overlap with absorption and moderate intensity).