The G-protein coupled receptor CXCR4 is a co-receptor for HIV-1 infection
and is involved in signaling cell migration and proliferation. In a previous
study of non-peptide, guanide-based CXCR4-binding compounds, spermine and
spermidine phenylguanides inhibited HIV-1 entry at low micromolar
concentrations. Subsequently, crystal structures of CXCR4 were used to dock a
series of naphthylguanide derivatives of the polyamines spermidine and spermine.
Synthesis and evaluation of the naphthylguanide compounds identified our best
compound, spermine tris-1-naphthylguanide, which bound CXCR4 with an IC50
of 40nM and inhibited the infection of TZM-bl cells with X4, but not R5, strains
of HIV-1 with an IC50 of 50–100nM.