Designed, Synthetically Accessible Bryostatin Analogues Potently Induce Activation of Latent HIV Reservoirs in vitro

Bryostatin is a unique lead in the development of potentially transformative therapies for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and the eradication of HIV/AIDS. However, the clinical use of bryostatin has been hampered by its limited supply, difficulties in accessing clinically-relevant derivatives, and side effects. Herein, we address these problems through the step-economical syntheses of seven members of a new family of designed bryostatin analogues utilizing a highly convergent Prins-macrocyclization strategy. We also demonstrate for the first time that such analogues effectively induce latent HIV activation in vitro with potencies similar to or better than bryostatin. Significantly, these analogues are up to 1000-fold more potent in inducing latent HIV expression than prostratin, the current clinical candidate for latent virus induction. This study provides the first demonstration that designed, synthetically-accessible bryostatin analogues could serve as superior candidates for the eradication of HIV/AIDS through induction of latent viral reservoirs in conjunction with current antiretroviral therapy.