0000000000628187

AUTHOR

Kornel Nowak

Redox reaction between amino-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)methyl phosphonic acid and dopaquinone is responsible for the apparent inhibitory effect on tyrosinase

Amino-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)methyl phosphonic acid, the phosphonic analog of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycine, had been previously reported as a potent inhibitor of tyrosinase. The mechanism of the apparent enzyme inhibition by this compound has now been established. Amino-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)methyl phosphonic acid turned out to be a substrate and was oxidized to o-quinone, which evolved to a final product identified as 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, the same as for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycine. Monohydroxylated compounds (amino-(3-hydroxyphenyl)methyl phosphonic acid and amino-(4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl phosphonic acid) were not oxidized, neither was 4-hydroxy-l-phenylglycine. However, the relatively hig…

research product

Synthesis of phosphono dipeptides, inhibitors of cathepsin C

Abstract Phosphono dipeptides containing glycine, glycylglycine or L-alanine at N-termini and racemic phosphonic acid analogues of aromatic amino acids, as well as racemic alicyclic aminophosphonates, exhibit moderate inhibitory activity towards cathepsin C. This activity is probably due to the binding of the phosphonate moiety by a positively charged part of the enzyme which is complementary to the carboxylate part of the synthetic dipeptide products of the enzymatic reaction.

research product

Synthesis of Tetrapeptide p‐nitrophenylanilides containing dehydroalanine and dehydrophenylalanine and their influence on cathepsin C activity

Three dehydrotetrapeptides of rationally varying structure were prepared and tested as affectors of cathepsin C. These compounds appeared to be substrates of the enzyme, being equipotent with their classical counterparts. Thus, replacement of amino acid in a short peptide by corresponding dehydroamino acid does not prevent cathepsin C in recognizing dehydropeptide as its substrate. Copyright © 2001 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

research product