Morphiceptin analogs containing 2-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid as a peptidomimetic for proline

As part of a program to study the structure-activity relationship of peptide opioids we report the synthesis, conformational characterization and biological activity of four analogs related to morphiceptin in which the proline at position two has been substituted with 2-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid (βAc⁵c). The βAc⁵c residue is a beta amino acid with two chiral centers resulting in four possible configurations; two configurational cis (R,S and S,R) and two configurational trans (R,R and S,S) forms. Utilizing high resolution n.m.r. at 500 MHz and computer simulations with NOE restraints the chirality of the βAc⁵c residues are assigned. The analog containing the R,S-βAc⁵c is active at both the μ and δ-opioid receptors, with a slight preference for the μ-receptor. The (S,R), (S,S), and (R,R) analogs show minimal activity at the μ-receptor and are inactive at the δ-receptor. A comparison of the findings from the conformational analysis and biological assays lends insight into the structure-activity relationship of this important peptide opiate.     

Synthesis,conformational studies,and molecular dynamics calculations of two cyclic tetrapeptides with 17- and 18-membered rings

Two cyclic tetrapeptides [Boc-cyclo(-Xxx-Pro-Asn-Lys-)OMe (Xxx = Asp or Glu)] were synthesized and investigated by NMR spectroscopy. They were designed in order to mimic the salt bridge found in physalaemin. Isomers of the urethane bond were observed in DMSO solution. The ROESY spectrum allowed the assignment of many signals of the minor isomer of both compounds. Conformational studies based on the temperature gradients of the NH chemical shifts, coupling constants, and ROEs revealed a similar conformation for the Asp analogue as proposed for physalaemin. A β1 turn with Pro and Asn in the corner positions was found for the major isomer. No hydrogen bonds were detected for the major isomer of the cyclic Glu analogue. Molecular dynamics calculations, using the NMR based initial structures, yielded sets of conformations in agreement with the experimental data. It is concluded that the salt bridge in physalaemin is best approximated by a lactam formed from the original amino acids.     

Conformational studies on model dipeptides of Gly,L -Ala and their Cα-substituted analogs

As a part of the development of conformational guidelines for the design of metabolically altered peptidomimetics, we present conformational energy calculations on model dipeptide compounds with glycine (Gly), L-alanine (Ala), α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), L-tert-butylglycine (Tle), L-phenylglycine (Phg), (α,α)-diphenylglycine (Dφg), L-2-aminobutyric acid (Abu), 2-amino-2-ethylbutync acid (Deg), L-2-amino-2-vinylacetic acid (Ava) and (α,α)-divinylglycine (Dvg). The energy calculations have been made using molecular mechanics methods with a force field derived from MM2. The salient features are expressed in terms of conformational energy plots, drawn as a function of the backbone torsion angles φ(C_i-1′-N_i-C_i^α-C_i′) and ψ(N_i- C_i^α-N_{i + 1}). The low-energy structures of these compounds are qualitatively consistent with the X-ray crystal structure analyses of peptides and peptidomimetics. They are also in agreement with the results of the solution-phase studies carried out by NMR and IR techniques. The results obtained have important implications in the design of conformationally restricted peptidomimetics.     

Synthesis,radiosynthesis and in vivo evaluation of [123I]‐4‐(2‐(bis(4‐fluorophenyl)methoxy)ethyl)‐1‐(4‐iodobenzyl)piperidine as a selective tracer for imaging the dopamine transporter

Dopamine transporter (DAT) neuroimaging is a useful tool in Parkinson's disease diagnosis, staging and follow‐up providing information on the integrity of the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system in vivo. 4‐(2‐(Bis(4‐fluorophenyl)methoxy)ethyl)‐1‐(4‐iodobenzyl)piperidine (7) has nanomolar affinity for DAT and better selectivity over the other monoamine transporters compared with the existing SPECT radioligands for DAT. The aim of this study was to synthesize and evaluate [¹²³I]‐7 as an in vivo tracer for DAT. The tributylstannyl precursor was synthesized with an overall yield of 25%. [¹²³I]‐7 was synthesized by electrophilic destannylation with a yield of 40±10%. Radiochemical purity appeared to be >98%, whereas specific activity was at least 667 GBq/µmol. Biodistribution studies in mice showed brain uptake of 0.96±0.53%ID/g at 30 s post injection (p.i.) and 0.26±0.02%ID/g at 3 h p.i. High blood activity was observed at all time points. Pretreatment with Cyclosporin A raised brain uptake indicating that [¹²³I]‐7 is transported by P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) pumps. In rats, regional brain distribution of [¹²³I]‐7 was not in agreement with DAT distribution. These results indicate that [¹²³I]‐7 is not suitable for mapping DAT in vivo but could be a useful tracer for the P‐gp transporter. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design,synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of 4-(3-chloro-4-(3-cyclopropylthioureido)-2-fluorophenoxy)-7-methoxyquinoline-6-carboxamide (WXFL-152): a novel triple angiokinase inhibitor for cancer therapy

Angiokinases, such as vascular endothelial-, fibroblast- and platelet-derived growth factor receptors (VEGFRs, FGFRs and PDGFRs) play crucial roles in tumor angiogenesis. Anti-angiogenesis therapy using multi-angiokinase inhibitor has achieved great success in recent years. In this study, we presented the design, synthesis, target identification, molecular mechanism, pharmacodynamics (PD) and pharmacokinetics (PK) research of a novel triple-angiokinase inhibitor WXFL-152. WXFL-152, identified from a series of 4-oxyquinoline derivatives based on a structure–activity relationship study, inhibited the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and pericytes by blocking the angiokinase signals VEGF/VEGFR2, FGF/FGFRs and PDGF/PDGFRβ simultaneously in vitro. Significant anticancer effects of WXFL-152 were confirmed in multiple preclinical tumor xenograft models, including a patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) model. Pharmacokinetic studies of WXFL-152 demonstrated high favourable bioavailability with single-dose and continuous multi-dose by oral administration in rats and beagles. In conclusion, WXFL-152, which is currently in phase Ib clinical trials, is a novel and effective triple-angiokinase inhibitor with clear PD and PK in tumor therapy.