Peptidomimetic inhibitors of herpes virus ribonucleotide reductase. Correlation between herpes simplex and varicella zoster virus

Peptidomimetic inhibitors based on the C-terminal sequence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) ribonucleotide reductase (RR) small subunit (R2) also inhibit varicella zoster virus (VZV) RR. There is generally good correlation between the potencies against both HSV and VZV RR. There are, however, two important differences. A urea moiety at the N-terminus improves potency against HSV RR but offers no advantages against VZV RR. γ-Methylleucine at the C-terminus is also beneficial for HSV RR but decreases potency considerably for VZV RR.