Nucleosides Containing Selenium1 II

Abstract

The chemistry of nucleoside analogs with antiviral and antitumor activity is well known. These properties have prompted considerable attention to new developments in synthetic methodology, especially in the field of modification of heterocyclic functions. One such class of methods is introduction of sulfur and selenium into the purine or pyrimidine bases. While thio-substituted nuclesides, are well known, their selenium counterparts are relatively less known in contrast to their potential importance as antitumor agents, as has been reported. The fact that the chemistry of selenium nucleosides is relatively unexplored encouraged review of the literature in this field.