Comparison of the antiviral activities of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) and gossylic iminolactone (GIL) against clinical isolates of HIV-1.

3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) and gossylic iminolactone (GIL) were compared for antiviral activities in vitro against fresh clinical isolates of HIV-1 obtained from 19 subjects on AZT therapy. IC50 values for AZT ranged from 0.015 to 6.7 microM (447-fold range) while IC50 values for GIL ranged from 0.40 to 6.6 microM (16-fold range). There was no correlation between IC50 values for AZT and GIL, suggesting that the anti-HIV activity of GIL does not involve inhibition of reverse transcriptase.