ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITIES OF PHOTOACTIVE PERYLENEQUINONES

Nine perylenequinones (PQ), including some familiar naturally occurrin g pigments, were compared for their light-mediated antiviral efficacie s, Calphostin C was the most active compound against the two target vi ruses, herpes simplex virus type 1 and Sindbis virus, Hypocrellins A a nd B were also very active, However, three cercosporin-like PQ were su bstantially less active in spite of their high quantum yields of singl et oxygen, whereas phleichrome, another efficient singlet oxygen produ cer, showed no detectable antiviral activity, One other PQ, which was a very weak singlet oxygen producer, also showed no antiviral activity , None of the active compounds showed significant antiviral activity i n the dark, Thus, for some groups of PQ there was correlation between quantum yield of singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) and antiviral efficacy, but t here are evidently other structural features of PQ that influence acti vity.