New developments in the synthesis of pyrrolizidinone-based dipeptide isosteres

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of acrylamide with the cyclic nitrone derived from proline tert-butyl ester has been employed in the synthesis of bicyclic Gly-(s-cis)Pro isosteres suitably protected for the Fmoc-based solid phase peptide synthesis. (R)-1-Phenylethylamine was introduced as chiral auxiliary to resolve racemic intermediates and obtain enantiopure compounds. Using methacrylamide as dipolarophile, the analogous Ala-Pro mimetics have been prepared in racemic form, whereas the same strategy applied to methyl itaconate failed to give the corresponding Asp-Pro mimetic.     

The Overman rearrangement in carbohydrate chemistry: stereoselective synthesis of functionalized 3-amino-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyrans and incorporation in peptide derivatives

A stereocontrolled synthesis of an unsaturated sugar bearing two amino groups (one of them masked as an azide), using an Overman rearrangement as key step, is described. This scaffold is used to prepare two peptides having aromatic fragments, which have shown activity as calpain inhibitors.     

Synthesis of proline-modified analogues of the neuroprotective agent glycyl-l-prolyl-glutamic acid (GPE)

The synthesis of ten proline-modified analogues of the neuroprotective tripeptide GPE is described. Five of the analogues incorporate a proline residue with a hydrophobic group at C-2 and two further analogues have this side chain locked into a spirolactam ring system. The pyrrolidine ring was also modified by replacing the γ-CH₂ group with sulfur and/or incorporation of two methyl groups at C-5.     

Solid-phase parallel synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazole based peptidomimetic library as a potential modulator of protein-protein interactions

Design and solid phase synthesis of the 1,3,4-oxadiazole based peptidomimetic library is presented. Library synthesis starts from the coupling of the thiosemicarbazide resin with Fmoc-protected amino acid following desulfurative cyclization to 1,3,4-oxadiazoles. Following substitution of the secondary amine with the 3-nitrobenzoyl functional group and its further reduction were performed. Thus, the functionalization with amino acids could be performed on both sides of the core skeleton. After diversification and cleavage from the resin using TFA: DCM cleavage cocktail, an enantiopure library of compounds was obtained. Further evaluation of physicochemical properties was performed.     

Synthesis of an iminosugar based peptidomimetic analogue

The synthesis of an 1-deoxymannojirimycin based analogue of a known HIV-protease inhibitor is described. The strategies employed for introduction of the pharmacophore groups onto the azasugar scaffold were based on regioselective reactions of the hydroxyl groups of the natural product and of d-fructopyranoside derivatives.     

New approach to oligotriazoles using a cobalt complex of propargyl azides as a synthetic component

We have developed an efficient method for preparation of triazolamers using a dicobalt hexacarbonyl complex of propargyl azides (CPA) as a synthetic component. Several types of CPAs possessing the side chains found in the natural amino acids were prepared by Nicholas reaction as well as by a reaction of propargyl azides with dicobalt octacarbonyl. Triazolamers with both amino and carboxyl termini were readily synthesized by repetitive reaction sequence involving a copper-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition followed by an oxidative deprotection.     

Utilization of the p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl (pNZ) amine protecting group and pentafluorophenyl (Pfp) esters for the solid phase synthesis of spiroligomers

Spiroligomers are a class of peptidomimetics that connect interchangeable, stereochemically pure, cyclic monomers through pairs of amide bonds to form diketopiperazines between the monomers. This enables them to adopt predictable and programmable structure due to the rigidity of the final molecule. We present a new method for the solid phase synthesis of highly functionalized spiroligomers that incorporates the use of the p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl (pNZ) as a temporary amine protecting group and the pentafluorophenyl ester for monomer activation. This new method allows for the synthesis of spiroligomers with higher purity and increased yields when compared to previous methods. This improved method of synthesis of functionalized spiroligomers will facilitate the development of applications as catalysts, therapeutics and membrane channels.     

A synthetic approach to 2,3,4-substituted pyridines useful as scaffolds for tripeptidomimetics

The synthesis of 2,3,4-substituted pyridine derivatives useful as scaffolds in the development of peptidomimetics is described. The use of a variety of electrophiles in a halogen-dance reaction to produce 3-alkyl-2-fluoro-4-iodo-pyridine derivatives as ‘functionalized scaffolds’ and the possibility to differentiate between the reactivities of the two halogen handles have been explored. Coupling of amino acid derivatives in the 4-position of the pyridine was found to proceed efficiently by conversion of iodo-pyridine to a Grignard derivative, which was allowed to react with a protected amino aldehyde. Substitution of fluorine in the 2-position of the pyridine was found to be facile with alkoxide nucleophiles, whereas amines were much less reactive.     

m-Aminobenzoic acid inserted β-turn in acyclic tripeptides: a peptidomimetic design

X-ray diffraction studies show that peptides Boc-Leu-Aib-m-ABA-OMe (I) (Aib, α-aminoisobutyric acid; m-ABA, meta-aminobenzoic acid) and Boc-Phe-Aib-m-ABA-OMe (II) adopt a type-II β-turn conformation, solely stabilized by co-operative steric interactions amongst the amino acid residues. This type of β-turn without any intramolecular hydrogen bonding is generally referred to as an open turn. Although there are some examples of constrained cyclic peptides in which o-substituted benzenes have been inserted to mimic the turn region of the neurotrophin, a nerve growth factor, peptides I and II present novel two examples where m-aminobenzoic acid has been incorporated in the β-turn of acyclic tripeptides. The result also demonstrates the first crystallographic evidence of a β-turn structure containing an inserted m-aminobenzoic acid, which can be considered as a rigid γ-aminobutyric acid with an all-trans extended configuration.     

Enolate amination and derivatization of a pyrroloisoquinoline template: towards novel peptidomimetics

Pyrroloisoquinoline-based peptidomimetics are of significant interest in bioorganic chemistry as these targets are known to exhibit type II′ β-turn activity. In this paper we present a novel approach to such pyrroloisoquinoline templates based on a stereoselective N-acyliminium-mediated cyclization reaction to construct the heterocyclic core, coupled with an enolate amination protocol. We have applied both symmetrical and unsymmetrical electrophilic aminating reagents based on azodicarboxylate functionality, and demonstrate the utility of our approach in the synthesis of a peptide target.