Synthesis of protected norcysteines for SPPS compatible with Fmoc strategy

We report the synthesis of racemic Alloc-Ncy(Tmob)-OH, the resolution of its methyl ester and demonstrate its application to form a norcystine bridge in octreotide-amide using the Fmoc strategy on solid phase. N-Alloc and S-Tmob protections of norcysteine (Ncy) were found to be a preferred choice for Fmoc strategy over three other protected norcysteines synthesized, that is, Fmoc-Ncy(tBu)-OH, Alloc-Ncy(tBu)-OH, and Alloc-Ncy(Trt)-OH.     

Solution conformation by NMR and molecular modeling of three sulfide-free somatostatin octapeptide analogs compared to angiopeptin

Summary The conformation in dimethylsulfoxide of the somatostatin derivative angiopeptin and of three disulfide-free analogs was estimated by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at room temperature. The resulting 3D molecular graphics were compared and shown to reflect the observed differences in the inhibition of restenosis after rat aorta balloon injury by these octapeptide inhibitors. Angiopeptin and its active analog 2 displayed a relatively rigid conformation of the cyclic hexapeptide backbone due to the presence of two well-defined hydrogen bonds, further stabilized by a third hydrogen bond outside the ring. No such constraints were detected for the two biologically inactive analogs, which, compared to 2, had a two-atom longer or shorter hexapeptide ring. The well-defined structure of compound 2 may serve as an improved pharmacophore for this new class of drugs.     

Electrophilic S‐Trifluoromethylation of Cysteine Side Chains in α‐ and β‐Peptides: Isolation of Trifluoro‐methylated Sandostatin® (Octreotide) Derivatives

The new electrophilic trifluoromethylating 1‐(trifluoromethyl)‐benziodoxole reagents A and B (Scheme 1) have been used to selectively attach CF₃ groups to the S‐atom of cysteine side chains of α‐ and β‐peptides (up to 13‐residues‐long; products 7 – 14 ). Other functional groups in the substrates (amino, amido, carbamate, carboxylate, hydroxy, phenyl) are not attacked by these soft reagents. Depending on the conditions, the indole ring of a Trp residue may also be trifluoromethylated (in the 2‐position). The products are purified by chromatography, and identified by ¹H‐, ¹³C‐, and ¹⁹F‐NMR spectroscopy, by CD spectroscopy, and by high‐resolution mass spectrometry. The CF₃ groups, thus introduced, may be replaced by H (Na/NH₃), an overall Cys/Ala conversion. The importance of trifluoromethylations in medicinal chemistry and possible applications of the method (spin‐labelling, imaging, PET) are discussed.     

NMR‐Solution Structures and Affinities for the Human Somatostatin G‐Protein‐Coupled Receptors hsst1–5 of CF3 Derivatives of Sandostatin® (Octreotide)

The previously reported (Helv. Chim. Acta 2008 , 91, 2035) derivatives of octreotide ( 1 ) with a (CF₃)‐Trp substitution, i.e., 3 , and with open‐chain structures, i.e., 2, 4 , and 5 , have been tested for their affinities to hsst_1–5 receptors and subjected to a detailed NMR analysis. Their affinities vary from 15 nM to 5 μM , as compared to 0.6 nM to 0.8 μM for octreotide itself (Table 1). This decreased bioactivity may have had to be expected for the open‐chain compounds 4 and 5 ; possible reasons for this decrease in the case of CF₃ derivative of octreotide, 3 , are discussed. NMR Analysis (Tables 2 and 3) provides evidence for increased dynamics of all new derivatives 2 – 5 . The dynamics of the octreotide molecule 1 was analyzed by (natural‐abundance) longitudinal ¹³C‐T₁‐relaxation time measurements (Table 4), from which the conclusion is drawn that the backbone of the macrocycle is rather rigid on the time scale of this method.     

Using Homology Modeling, Molecular Dynamics and Molecular Docking Techniques to Identify Inhibitor Binding Regions of Somatostatin Receptor 1

The G protein coupled receptor(GPCR), one of the members in the superfamily, which consists of thousands of integral membrane proteins, exerts a wide variety of physiological functions and responses to a large portion of the drug targets. The 3D structure of somatostatin receptor 1(SSTR1) was modeled and refined by means of homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulation. This model was assessed by Verify-3D and Vadar, which confirmed the reliability of the refined model. The interaction between the inhibitor cysteamine, somatostatin(SST) and SSTR1 was investigated by a molecular docking program, Affinity. The binding module not only showed the crucial residues involved in the interaction, but also provided important information about the interaction between SSTR1 on the one hand and ligands on the other, which might be the significant evidence for the structure-based design.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Cyclo-β-tetrapeptide as a Somatostatin Analogue

Short β -peptides can mimic natural peptide hormones , as has been shown with a cyclo-β-tetrapeptide ( 1 ) that displays micromolar affinity to human somatostatin receptors. β-Peptides are thus a promising new class of peptidomimetics with potential high bioavailability due to their excellent resistance against proteases.     

New Open‐Chain and Cyclic Tetrapeptides,Consisting of α‐, β2‐, and β3‐Amino‐Acid Residues,as Somatostatin Mimics – A Survey

Cyclo‐β‐tetrapeptides are known to adopt a conformation with an intramolecular transannular hydrogen bond in solution. Analysis of this structure reveals that incorporation of a β²‐amino‐acid residue should lead to mimics of ‘α‐peptidic β‐turns’ (cf. A, B, C ). It is also known that short‐chain mixed β/α‐peptides with appropriate side chains can be used to mimic interactions between α‐peptidic hairpin turns and G protein‐coupled receptors. Based on these facts, we have now prepared a number of cyclic and open‐chain tetrapeptides, 7 – 20 , consisting of α‐, β²‐, and β³‐amino‐acid residues, which bear the side chains of Trp and Lys, and possess backbone configurations such that they should be capable of mimicking somatostatin in its affinity for the human SRIF receptors (hsst_1–5). All peptides were prepared by solid‐phase coupling by the Fmoc strategy. For the cyclic peptides, the three‐dimensional orthogonal methodology (Scheme 3) was employed with best success. The new compounds were characterized by high‐resolution mass spectrometry, NMR and CD spectroscopy, and, in five cases, by a full NMR‐solution‐structure determination (in MeOH or H₂O; Fig. 4). The affinities of the new compounds for the receptors hsst_1–5 were determined by competition with [¹²⁵I]LTT‐SRIF₂₈ or [¹²⁵I] [Tyr¹⁰]‐CST₁₄. In Table 1, the data are listed, together with corresponding values of all β‐ and γ‐peptidic somatostatin/Sandostatin^® mimics measured previously by our groups. Submicromolar affinities have been achieved for most of the human SRIF receptors hsst_1–5. Especially high, specific binding affinities for receptor hsst₄ (which is highly expressed in lung and brain tissue, although still of unknown function!) was observed with some of the β‐peptidic mimics. In view of the fact that numerous peptide‐activated G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) recognize ligands with turn structure (Table 2), the results reported herein are relevant far beyond the realm of somatostatin: many other peptide GPCRs should be ‘reached’ with β‐ and γ‐peptidic mimics as well, and these compounds are proteolytically and metabolically stable, and do not need to be cell‐penetrating for this purpose (Fig. 5).