Kynostatin (KNI)-227 and -272, highly potent anti-HIV agents: conformationally constrained tripeptide inhibitors of HIV protease containing allophenylnorstatine.

Selective and potent HIV protease inhibitors containing allophenylnorstatine Apns; (2S, 3S)-3-amino-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid] as a transition-state mimic were designed and synthesized. Among them, conformationally constrained tripeptide derivatives, kynostatin (KNI)-227 and -272 (Fig. 1), exhibited highly potent antiviral activities against a wide spectrum of HIV isolates. Ready availability due to the simple synthetic procedure and the excellent antiviral properties indicate that KNI-227 and KNI-272 are promising candidates as selective anti-AIDS drugs.