(Cholestanyloxycarbonyl)benzyl esters as peptide substituents: Conformational properties of fully protected oligo-L-lysines with C-terminal (cholestanyloxycarbonyl)benzyl and benzyl ester moieties

This study involves L-lysine oligo peptides, protected at the N-terminus by the Nps and at the ε-amino functions by Boc groups. Two series were prepared from dimer to octamer, one containing the p-(cholestan-3β-yloxy)carbonyl]benzyl, the other one the benzyl ester group at the C-terminus. Conformational analyses were performed by IR absorption. The occurrence of the intermolecular β-structure in the solid state and in CH₂Cl₂ solution was demonstrated for the highest oligomers. The relative stabilities of the self-associated species were determined by adding a variety of polar solvents to the CH₂Cl₂ solutions. The cholestanyl-containing peptides have a lower propensity to self-aggregate than the benzyl-ester analogues. Self-aggregation and decreasing solubility run in parallel. It was also directly shown that soluble urea derivatives may disrupt intermolecular H-bonds in CH₂Cl₂, a point of practical interest, particularly in solid-phase peptide synthesis.