Poly(Hydroxy)Carboxylates as Selective Inhibitors of Cytomegalovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus Replication

Polyhydroxycarboxylates (MW 3800–14000) derived from phenolic (PDP) compounds were found to be selective inhibitors of human cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), type 2 (HSV-2), thymidine kinase-deficient (TK − ) HSV-1 and vaccinia virus replication at concentrations that are not toxic to the host cells. The PDP compounds were not inhibitory to parainfluenza virus, reovirus, Sindbis virus, or Semliki forest virus. The polycarboxylate aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) (MW 1149–3336) also proved inhibitory to CMV and HSV replication. The anti-CMV and anti-HSV activities of the ATA polymers increased with increasing molecular weight. The mechanism of anti-CMV activity of both the PDP and ATA series of compounds can be attributed to the inhibition of virion attachment to the cells, probably due to an interaction of these polyanionic compounds with the positively charged domains of the viral envelope glycoproteins.