Search results for "peptidomimetics"
showing 10 items of 27 documents
Redox-responsive organometallic foldamers from ferrocene amino acid: Solid-phase synthesis, secondary structure and mixed-valence properties
2011
Oligoferrocenes Fmoc-Fca(n)-OMe (n=3-5) are assembled in a stepwise precise manner from Fmoc-protected ferrocene amino acid Fmoc-Fca-OH (H-Fca-OH = 1-amino-1'-ferrocene carboxylic acid; Fmoc = 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl) via amide bonds on solid supports by sequential Fmoc deprotection, acid activation and coupling steps. The resulting well-defined oligomers form ordered zigzag structures in THF solution with characteristic hydrogen bonding patterns. Electrochemical experiments reveal sequential oxidations of the individual ferrocene units in these peptides giving mixed-valent cations. Optical intervalence electron transfer is detected by intervalence transitions in the near-IR.
Development of novel 1,4-benzodiazepine-based Michael acceptors as antitrypanosomal agents
2016
Novel 1,4-benzodiazepines, endowed with a Michael acceptor moiety, were designed taking advantage of a computational prediction of their pharmacokinetic parameters. Among all the synthesized derivatives, we identified a new lead compound (i.e., 4a), bearing a vinyl ketone warhead and endowed with a promising antitrypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma brucei brucei (IC50 = 5.29 µM), coupled with a lack of cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells (TC50>100 µM).
1,5-Disubstituted 1,2,3-Triazoles as Amide Bond Isosteres Yield Novel Tumor-Targeting Minigastrin Analogs.
2021
[Image: see text] 1,5-Disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles (1,5-Tz) are considered bioisosteres of cis-amide bonds. However, their use for enhancing the pharmacological properties of peptides or proteins is not yet well established. Aiming to illustrate their utility, we chose the peptide conjugate [Nle(15)]MG11 (DOTA-dGlu-Ala-Tyr-Gly-Trp-Nle-Asp-Phe-NH(2)) as a model compound since it is known that the cholecystokinin-2 receptor (CCK2R) is able to accommodate turn conformations. Analogs of [Nle(15)]MG11 incorporating 1,5-Tz in the backbone were synthesized and radiolabeled with lutetium-177, and their pharmacological properties (cell internalization, receptor binding affinity and specificity, pla…
Peptidomimetics – An infinite reservoir of metal binding motifs in metabolically stable and biologically active molecules
2020
The involvement of metal ions in interactions with therapeutic peptides is inevitable. They are one of the factors able to fine-tune the biological properties of antimicrobial peptides, a promising group of drugs with one large drawback - a problematic metabolic stability. Appropriately chosen, proteolytically stable peptidomimetics seem to be a reasonable solution of the problem, and the use of D-, β-, γ-amino acids, unnatural amino acids, azapeptides, peptoids, cyclopeptides and dehydropeptides is an infinite reservoir of metal binding motifs in metabolically stable, well-designed, biologically active molecules. Below, their specific structural features, metal-chelating abilities and anti…
Amelioration of the abnormal phenotype of a new L1 syndrome mouse mutation with L1 mimetics
2021
L1 syndrome is a rare developmental disorder characterized by hydrocephalus of varying severity, intellectual deficits, spasticity of the legs, and adducted thumbs. Therapy is limited to symptomatic relief. Numerous gene mutations in the L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM, hereafter abbreviated L1) were identified in L1 syndrome patients, and those affecting the extracellular domain of this transmembrane type 1 glycoprotein show the most severe phenotypes. Previously analyzed rodent models of the L1 syndrome focused on L1-deficient animals or mouse mutants with abrogated cell surface expression of L1, making it difficult to test L1 function-triggering mimetic compounds with potential therapeu…
Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel peptidomimetics as rhodesain inhibitors
2016
Novel rhodesain inhibitors were developed by combining an enantiomerically pure 3-bromoisoxazoline warhead with a 1,4-benzodiazepine scaffold as specific recognition moiety. All compounds were proven to inhibit rhodesain with Ki values in the low-micromolar range. Their activity towards rhodesain was found to be coupled to an in vitro antitrypanosomal activity, with IC50 values ranging from the mid-micromolar to a low-micromolar value for the most active rhodesain inhibitor (R,S,S)-3. All compounds showed a good selectivity against the target enzyme since all of them were proven to be poor inhibitors of human cathepsin L. Novel rhodesain inhibitors were developed by combining an enantiomeri…
Synthesis and biological evaluation of papain-family cathepsin L-like cysteine protease inhibitors containing a 1,4-benzodiazepine scaffold as antipr…
2014
Novel papain-family cathepsin L-like cysteine protease inhibitors endowed with antitrypanosomal and antimalarial activity were developed, through an optimization study of previously developed inhibitors. In the present work, we studied the structure-activity relationships of these derivatives, with the aim to develop new analogues with a simplified and more synthetically accessible structure and with improved antiparasitic activity. The structure of the model compounds was significantly simplified by modifying or even eliminating the side chain appended at the C3 atom of the benzodiazepine scaffold. In addition, a simple methylene spacer of appropriate length was inserted between the benzod…
Photoactivatable Adhesive Ligands for Light-Guided Neuronal Growth
2018
Neuro-regeneration after trauma requires growth and reconnection of neurons to reestablish information flow in particular directions across the damaged tissue. To support this process, biomaterials for nerve tissue regeneration need to provide spatial information to adhesion receptors on the cell membrane and to provide directionality to growing neurites. Here, photoactivatable adhesive peptides based on the CASIKVAVSADR laminin peptidomimetic are presented and applied to spatiotemporal control of neuronal growth to biomaterials in vitro. The introduction of a photoremovable group [6-nitroveratryl (NVOC), 3-(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrophenyl)butan-2-yl (DMNPB), or 2,2′-((3′-(1-hydroxypropan-2-yl)…
VCD studies on cyclic peptides assembled from L-α-amino acids and a trans-2-aminocyclopentane- or trans-2-aminocyclohexane carboxylic acid.
2010
The increasing interest in peptidomimetics of biological relevance prompted us to synthesize a series of cyclic peptides comprising trans-2-aminocyclohexane carboxylic acid (Achc) or trans-2-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid (Acpc). NMR experiments in combination with MD calculations were performed to investigate the three-dimensional structure of the cyclic peptides. These data were compared to the conformational information obtained by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy. Experimental VCD spectra were compared to theoretical VCD spectra computed quantum chemically at B3LYP/6-31G(d) density functional theory (DFT) level. The good agreem…
Toward engineering efficient peptidomimetics. Screening conformational landscape of two modified dehydroaminoacids
2013
Effective peptidomimetics should posses structural rigidity and appropriate interaction pattern leading to potential spatial and electronic matching to the target receptor site. Rational design of such small bioactive molecules could push chemical synthesis and molecular modeling toward faster progress in medicinal chemistry. Conformational properties of N-t-butoxycarbonyl-glycine-(E/Z)-dehydrophenylalanine N′,N′-dimethylamides (Boc-Gly-(E/Z)-ΔPhe-NMe2) in chloroform were studied by NMR and IR spectroscopy. The experimental findings were supported by extensive calculations at DFT(B3LYP, M06-2X) and MP2 levels of theory and the β-turn tendency for both isomers of the studied dipeptide were d…