As part of a series of studies to discover new HIV reverse-transcriptase inhibitors, various novel 6alpha- and 6beta-naphthylthio 1-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl]-6-(phenylthio) thymine (HEPT) derivatives were synthesized, and in vitro anti-HIV-1 activity was evaluated. The results revealed that most of 6alpha-naphthylthio HEPT derivatives (7a-w) showed good activity [for 7e, IC50 value of 0.048 microM and selectivity index (SI) value of 735; for 7h, IC50 value of 0.057 microM and SI value of 579; for 7k, IC50 value of 0.063 microM and SI value of 565], 6beta-naphthylthio HEPT derivatives (8a-f) showed low activity, but the introduction of alpha nitro group to the C-1 position of the 6beta-naphthyl ring in the 6beta-naphthylthio series (11a-c) resulted in a dramatic increase in anti-HIV-1 activity.