Systematic Synthesis and Antiviral Evaluation of α-L-Arabinofuranosyl and 2′-Deoxy-α-L-Erythro-Pento-Furanosyl Nucleosides of the Five Naturally Occurring Nucleic Acid Bases

The α-L-arabinofuranosyl and 2′-deoxy-α-L-erythro-pentofuranosyl analogues of the naturally occurring nucleosides have been synthesized and their antiviral properties examined. The α-L-arabinofuranosyl nucleosides were prepared by glycosylation of purine and pyrimidine aglycons with a suitably peracyl-α-L-arabinose, followed by removal of the protecting groups. Their 2′-deoxy derivatives were obtained by sequential selective 2′-O-deacylation and deoxygenation. All the prepared compounds were tested for their activity against a variety of RNA and DNA viruses, but they did not show significant antiviral activity.