Benzimidazole nucleosides: antiviral and antitumour activities and methods of synthesis

The review systematically covers experimental data on the synthesis of modified benzimidazole nucleosides and evaluation of their biological activity published mainly over the last two decades. Various synthetic approaches to benzimidazole nucleosides, from multistep chemical processes to up-to-date biotechnology-based methods, are considered. A historical background of the development and structural improvement of various benzimidazole nucleosides is given and the structure activity relationships for the synthesized compounds are addressed. Data on the antiviral and antitumour activities of these derivatives are presented and the cellular targets of benzimidazole nucleosides are discussed.