Ganciclovir: A 2’-Deoxyguanosine Analogue with Antiviral Activity against Herpes Viruses including Cytomegalovirus
Ganciclovir is a synthetic analogue of 2’-deoxyguanosine with antiviral activity against members of the herpes group such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and some other DNA viruses. In CMV-infected cells, ganciclovir is initially phosphorylated to its monophosphate by the viral protein kinase, pUL97. Subsequently, the monophosphate s converted to ganciclovir triphosphate by cellular kinases. The triphosphate inhibits virus DNA polymerase competitively with deoxyguanosine triphosphate. Consequently, ganciclovir interfere with herpes viral DNA synthesis and replication. As the mono-phosphorylation is largely dependent on the viral kinase, mono-phosphorylation of ganciclovir occurs preferentially in virus-infected cells. For your reference,
N-Acetyl-di-
O-acetylganciclovir [
A3228] is a synthetic intermediate of ganciclovir. (The product is for research purpose only.)