5′-Nor carbocyclic nucleosides: unusual nonnucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase

A new series of potential nonnucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (NNRTIs) based on the carbocyclic 5′-nor-uracil scaffold were designed and synthesized. Binding modes in the active site of the enzyme were studied computationally to provide insight on potential interactions. Several of the 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′,3′-didehydro-5′-nor-uridine analogues showed inhibitory activity against wild-type and mutant (L100I) HIV-RT with K_i 13–18 μM and 1–11 μM, respectively.