Synthesis, cytotoxic and antiviral activity of uracils containing 5-(1-hydroxy-2-haloethyl)- and 5-(1-methoxy-2-haloethyl) substituents.

5-(1-Hydroxy-2-haloethyl)- (4), 5-(1-methoxy-2-haloethyl)- (5) and 5-(1-hydroxy-2-methoxyethyl)uracils (6) (see Figure 2 for structures) were synthesized to investigate the effect of the C-5 substituents on cytotoxic and antiviral activity. The bromo compounds (4b and 5b) exhibited greater cytotoxic activity than the chloro or iodo analogues in the in vitro L1210 assay. Replacement of the hydroxyl substituent of 4b (bromo) and 4c (iodo) by a methoxyl substituent (5b-c), or substitution of their halogen substituents by methoxyl (providing 6) increased the potency. However, the cytotoxic activity of all the compounds was weak, the most active (6) producing a 45% decrease in cell survival at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml, as compared with a 97% decrease when the reference standard (melphalan) was tested at 1 microgram/ml. They were inactive antiviral agents against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infected Vero cells at 10 micrograms/ml; in the same test, the reference standard (acyclovir) exhibited an ID50 of 0.01 micrograms/ml.