Synthesis and antiviral activity of acyclic derivatives of 5-ethyl-2'-deoxyuridine

Four acyclic pyrimidine derivatives of 5-ethyl-2′-deoxyuridine (1) (EDU) have been synthesized and tested for their activities against vesicular stomatitis virus, vaccinia virus and various strains of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in primary rabbit kidney (PRK) cell cultures. The acyclic nucleoside analogues of EDU exhibited no activity against any of the viruses tested.