Bifunctional Inhibition of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Reverse Transcriptase: Mechanism and Proof-of-Concept as a Novel Therapeutic Design Strategy

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT) is a major target for currently approved anti-HIV drugs. These drugs are divided into two classes: nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs and NNRTIs). This study illustrates the synthesis and biochemical evaluation of a novel bifunctional RT inhibitor utilizing d4T (NRTI) and a TMC-derivative (a diarylpyrimidine NNRTI) linked via a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linker. HIV-1 RT successfully incorporates the triphosphate of d4T-4PEG-TMC bifunctional inhibitor in a base-specific manner. Moreover, this inhibitor demonstrates low nanomolar potency that has 4.3-fold and 4300-fold enhancement of polymerization inhibition in vitro relative to the parent TMC-derivative and d4T, respectively. This study serves as a proof-of-concept for the development and optimization of bifunctional RT inhibitors as potent inhibitors of HIV-1 viral replication.