2-(α-Hydroxybenzyl)-benzimidazolium Salts and their Influence on Cultured Cells infected with Poliovirus

Abstract

1 -ALKYL-2 - (α - HYDROXYBENZYL) - BENZIMIDAZOLES (I) give a high degree of protection against the cell degeneration which follows infection of tissue cultures with poliovirus (types 1, 2 and 3)¹. The action of corresponding quaternary salts (II) is of considerable interest in view of: (a) the much greater solubility of these compounds in water; (b) the introduction of the positive charge; (c) the removal of the type of hydrogen-bonding (III) or metalchelating (IV) propensities that might (for example, by allowing attachment to protein or nucleic acid) play some part in the activity of the parent compound HBB (I; R = H) and of its 1-alkyl derivatives (I; R = alkyl). Infra-red spectra show that these latter compounds form pairs of intermolecular hydrogen-bonded links as indicated (III), and they also form copper chelates.