Synthesis and anti-HIV activity of 1,1,3-trioxo-2H,4H-thieno[3,4-e][1,2,4]thiadiazines (TTDs): a new family of HIV-1 specific non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors

The anti-HIV activity of a novel series of 1,1,3-trioxo-2H,4H-thieno[3,4-e][1,2,4]thiadiazines (TTDs) has been described. The compounds were synthesized via Curtius rearrangement of appropriate sulfamoylcarboxy azides which, in turn, were prepared from known starting materials. Several 4-substituted-2-benzyl-derivatives were found to selectively inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [HIV-1 (IIIB)] replication in MT-4 and CEM cells. These TTDs were also effective against other strains of HIV-1 (RF, HE, MN, NDK), including those that are resistant to AZT, but not against HIV-2 (ROD) or simian immunodeficiency virus [SIV(MAC251)] at subtoxic concentrations. Some of the test compounds exhibited antiviral activity against L100I RT mutant virus, but significantly lost antiviral activity against K103N, V106A, E138K, Y181C and Y188H RT mutant viruses. Compounds 6d, 6f and 6g were inhibitory to HIV-1 RT at concentrations that rank between 16.4 and 59.8 mu M (nevirapine: IC50 = 4.5 mu M against HIV-1 RT). Inhibition of HIV-1 RT by compound 6g was purely non-competitive with respect to the natural substrate (dGTP), which is in agreement with the nature of inhibition shown by other NNRTIs such as nevirapine and delarvidine. A structure-activity relationship was established for the anti-HIV activity of these heterocyclic compounds. TTDs represent a new chemical class of nonnucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.