6-methylpurine 2'-deoxyriboside

6-methylpurine 2'-deoxyriboside is a synthetic purine nucleoside analog characterized by a methyl group at the sixth position of the purine ring and a deoxyribose sugar. It is primarily studied as an experimental agent with potential antiviral and antitumor activities. Its mechanism of action involves serving as a prodrug that can be cleaved by *Escherichia coli* purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), releasing toxic purine bases that inhibit DNA synthesis and induce cell death in targeted cells. This property has been exploited in gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) approaches for cancer treatment, where tumors are engineered to express *E. coli* PNP to selectively activate the drug within tumor tissue[8][5]. The compound remains investigational and is not approved for clinical use.

Other names

9-(2-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-6-methylpurine6-methylpurine-2'-deoxy-beta-D-riboside(2R,3S,5R)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-5-(6-methyl-9H-purin-9-yl)tetrahydrofuran-3-ol