Design, Synthesis, and Molecular Docking Analysis of Fluorinated MLN4924 Derivatives as Antiviral Agents

MLN4924 is known for its potential in cancer treatment and antiviral activity as a NEDD8‐activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor. We designed and synthesized fluorinated MLN4924 derivatives by electrophilic fluorination at the 6′‐position and nucleophilic fluorination at the 2′‐position of the sugar moiety, respectively. The compounds were then evaluated for their anti‐HCMV activity, and compound 2 a exhibited the most potent HCMV inhibitory activity, showing similar results to MLN4924 but with no toxicity at a high concentration. Docking studies highlighted the importance of the sugar conformation in the binding interaction with the target protein. This research offers critical insights into the optimization of MLN4924 derivatives and provides a promising pathway towards the development of effective antiviral agents. MLN4924 derivatives with modified sugar moieties were synthesized and their inhibitory effectiveness against HCMV evaluated using a luciferase assay on human fibroblast cells. Docking studies elucidated the crucial role of the conformation of the sugar part in its binding interaction with the target protein.