CAS 583-40-4: 8-Mercaptopurine

8-Mercaptopurine is a purine analog that inhibits viral replication in cells by binding to the ribofuranosyl moiety of the nucleic acid. It is used as an immunosuppressant drug and for the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia. 8-Mercaptopurine has been shown to inhibit viral replication by binding to the ribofuranosyl moiety of RNA, which prevents the formation of a DNA-RNA hybrid. This activity is inhibited by chlorine atoms and copper chloride. Structural studies have shown that 8-mercaptopurine forms glycosidic bonds with glucose, which may be responsible for its antiviral activity. The molecular modeling studies also revealed that 8-mercaptopurine interacts with methyltransferase, which may account for its inhibitory effects on DNA synthesis. 8-Mercaptopurine has also been found to be effective against a wide range of viruses including HIV, influenza, herpes simplex virus type 1