The Design, Synthesis, and Antiviral Activity of 4′-Azidocytidine Analogues against Hepatitis C Virus Replication: The Discovery of 4′-Azidoarabinocytidine

4'-Azidocytidine 3 (R1479) has been previously discovered as a potent and selective inhibitor of HCV replication targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of hepatitis C virus, NS5B. Here we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of several derivatives of 4'-azidocytidine by varying the substituents at the ribose 2' and 3'-positions. The most potent compound in this series is 4'-azidoarabinocytidine with an IC(50) of 0.17 microM in the genotype 1b subgenomic replicon system. The structure-activity relationships within this series of nucleoside analogues are discussed.