N-terminal 4-imidazolidinone prodrugs of Leu-enkephalin: synthesis, chemical and enzymatic stability studies

Madurastatins with Imidazolidinone Rings: Natural Products or Side-Reaction Products from Extraction Solvents?

Madurastatins are a group of pentapeptides containing an oxazoline moiety, and, in a few cases, an imidazolidinone ring as an additional structural feature. In our search for new potential antiparasitic metabolites from natural sources, we studied the acetone extracts from a culture of Actinomadura sp. CA-135719. The LC/HRMS analysis of this extract identified the presence of the known madurastatins C1 (1), D1 (4), and D2 (5) together with additional members of the family that were identified as the new madurastatins H2 (2) and 33-epi-D1 (3) after isolation and spectroscopic analysis. The planar structures of the new compounds were established by HRMS, ESI-qTOF-MS/MS, and 1D and 2D NMR data, and their absolute configuration was proposed using Marfey's and bioinformatic analyses of the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC). A revision of the absolute configuration of madurastatins D1 and D2 is proposed. Additionally, madurastatins containing imidazolidinone rings are proved to be artifacts originating during acetone extraction of the bacterial cultures.

Targeting Peptides: The New Generation of Targeted Drug Delivery Systems

Peptides can act as targeting molecules, analogously to oligonucleotide aptamers and antibodies. They are particularly efficient in terms of production and stability in physiological environments; in recent years, they have been increasingly studied as targeting agents for several diseases, from tumors to central nervous system disorders, also thanks to the ability of some of them to cross the blood-brain barrier. In this review, we will describe the techniques employed for their experimental and in silico design, as well as their possible applications. We will also discuss advancements in their formulation and chemical modifications that make them even more stable and effective. Finally, we will discuss how their use could effectively help to overcome various physiological problems and improve existing treatments.

Release of Volatile Cyclopentanone Derivatives from Imidazolidin-4-One Profragrances in a Fabric Softener Application

Imidazolidin-4-ones were investigated as hydrolytically cleavable profragrances to increase the long-lastingness of perfume perception in a fabric softener application. The reaction of different amino acid amides with 2-alkyl- or 2-alkenylcyclopentanones as the model fragrances to be released afforded the corresponding bi- or tricyclic imidazolidin-4-ones as mixtures of diastereoisomers, which were separated by column chromatography. In polar solution, the different stereoisomers equilibrated under thermodynamic conditions to form mixtures with constant isomeric distributions, as shown by NMR spectroscopy. Dynamic headspace analysis on dry cotton demonstrated the controlled fragrance release from the precursors in practical application. Under non-equilibrium conditions (continuous evaporation of the fragrance) and depending on the structure and stereochemistry of the profragrances, the recorded headspace concentrations of the fragrance released from the precursors increased by a factor of 2 up to 100 with respect to the unmodified reference. Prolinamide-based precursors released the highest amount of fragrance and were thus found to be particularly suitable for prolonging the evaporation of cyclopentanone-derived fragrances on a dry cotton surface.

Pyridine-2,6-dicarboxaldehyde-Enabled N-Terminal In Situ Growth of Polymer-Interferon α Conjugates with Significantly Improved Pharmacokinetics and In Vivo Bioactivity

Polymer-protein conjugates are a class of biohybrids with unique properties that are highly useful in biomedicine ranging from protein therapeutics to biomedical imaging; however, it remains a considerable challenge to conjugate polymers to proteins in a site-specific, mild, and efficient way to form polymer-protein conjugates with uniform structures and properties and optimal functions. Herein we report pyridine-2,6-dicarboxaldehyde (PDA)-enabled N-terminal modification of proteins with polymerization initiators for in situ growth of poly(oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate) (POEGMA) conjugates uniquely at the N-termini of a range of natural and recombinant proteins in a mild and efficient fashion. The formed POEGMA-protein conjugates showed highly retained in vitro bioactivity as compared with free proteins. Notably, the in vitro bioactivity of a POEGMA-interferon α (IFN) conjugate synthesized by this new chemistry is 8.1-fold higher than that of PEGASYS that is a commercially available and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved PEGylated IFN. The circulation half-life of the conjugate is similar to that of PEGASYS but is 46.2 times longer than that of free IFN. Consequently, the conjugate exhibits considerably improved antiviral bioactivity over free IFN and even PEGASYS in a mouse model. These results indicate that the PDA-enabled N-terminal grafting-from method is applicable to a number of proteins whose active sites are far away from the N-terminus for the synthesis of N-terminal polymer-protein conjugates with high yield, well-retained activity, and considerably improved pharmacology for biomedical applications.

Tyr1-ψ[( Z)CF═CH]-Gly2 Fluorinated Peptidomimetic Improves Distribution and Metabolism Properties of Leu-Enkephalin

Opioid peptides are key regulators in cellular and intercellular physiological responses, and could be therapeutically useful for modulating several pathological conditions. Unfortunately, the use of peptide-based agonists to target centrally located opioid receptors is limited by poor physicochemical (PC), distribution, metabolic, and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) properties that restrict penetration across the blood-brain barrier via passive diffusion. To address these problems, the present paper exploits fluorinated peptidomimetics to simultaneously modify PC and DMPK properties, thus facilitating entry into the central nervous system. As an initial example, the present paper exploited the Tyr¹-ψ[( Z)CF═CH]-Gly² peptidomimetic to improve PC druglike characteristics (computational), plasma and microsomal degradation, and systemic and CNS distribution of Leu-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu). Thus, the fluoroalkene replacement transformed an instable in vitro tool compound into a stable and centrally distributed in vivo probe. In contrast, the Tyr¹-ψ[CF₃CH₂-NH]-Gly² peptidomimetic decreased stability by accelerating proteolysis at the Gly³-Phe⁴ position.

Synthesis and Opioid Activity of Tyr1 -ψ[(Z)CF=CH]-Gly2 and Tyr1 -ψ[(S)/(R)-CF3 CH-NH]-Gly2 Leu-enkephalin Fluorinated Peptidomimetics

We describe the design, synthesis, and opioid activity of fluoroalkene (Tyr1 -ψ[(Z)CF=CH]-Gly2 ) and trifluoroethylamine (Tyr1 -ψ[(S)/(R)-CF3 CH-NH]-Gly2 ) analogues of the endogenous opioid neuropeptide, Leu-enkephalin. The fluoroalkene peptidomimetic exhibited low nanomolar functional activity (5.0±2 nm and 60±15 nm for δ- and μ-opioid receptors, respectively) with a μ/δ-selectivity ratio that mimics that of the natural peptide. However, the trifluoroethylamine peptidomimetics, irrespective of stereochemistry, did not activate the opioid receptors, which suggest that bulky CF3 substituents are not tolerated at this position.

Design, synthesis, and preliminary pharmacological evaluation of new imidazolinones as L-DOPA prodrugs

L-DOPA, the immediate biological precursor of dopamine, is still considered the drug of choice in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, therapy with L-DOPA is associated with a number of acute problems. With the aim to increase the bioavailability after oral administration, we designed a multi-protected L-DOPA prodrugs able to release the drug by both spontaneous chemical or enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis. The new compounds have been synthesized and preliminarily evaluated for their water solubility, log P, chemical stability, and enzymatic stability. The results indicate that the incorporation of the amino acidic moiety of L-DOPA into an imidazoline-4-one ring provides prodrugs sufficiently stable to potentially cross unchanged the acidic environment of the stomach, and to be absorbed from the intestine. They also might be able to release L-DOPA in human plasma after enzymatic hydrolysis. The ability of prodrugs 6a-b to increase basal levels of striatal DA, and influence brain neurochemistry associated with dopaminergic activity following oral administration, as well as the radical-scavenging activity against DPPH for compounds 6a-b and 15a are also reported.

Imidazoquines as antimalarial and antipneumocystis agents

Peptidomimetic imidazolidin-4-one derivatives of primaquine (imidazoquines) recently displayed in vitro activity against blood schizonts of a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Preliminary studies with a subset of such imidazoquines showed them to both block transmission of P. berghei malaria from mouse to mosquito and be highly stable toward hydrolysis at physiological conditions. This prompted us to have deeper insight into the activity of imidazoquines against both Plasmodia and Pneumocystis carinii, on which primaquine is also active. Full assessment of the in vivo transmission-blocking activity of imidazoquines, in vitro tissue-schizontocidal activity on P. berghei-infected hepatocytes, and in vitro anti-P. carinii activity is now reported. All compounds were active in these biological assays, with generally lower activity than the parent drug. However, imidazoquines' stability against both oxidative deamination and proteolytic degradation suggest that they will probably have higher oral bioavailability and lower hematotoxicity than primaquine, which might translate into higher therapeutic indexes.

Electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry study of PQAAPro and PQProAA mimetic derivatives of the antimalarial primaquine

Electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of imidazolidin-4-one peptidomimetic derivatives of the antimalarial drug primaquine (PQ) is reported. These compounds contain the imidazolidin-4-one moiety either at the N- or the C-terminal of a dipeptide backbone, thus respectively mimicking PQ-Amino Acid-Proline (PQAAPro) and PQProAA derivatives of PQ. Both the peptidomimetics and precursors previously developed by us are promising drug candidates, as they were found to be active against rodent Plasmodium berghei malaria and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) and tandem-mass spectra (MS) of the title compounds, and fragmentation pathways thereof, led to the following findings: (1) CID patterns present some parallelism with the reactivity towards hydrolysis previously found for the same or related compounds; (2) a positional shift of the imidazolidin-4-one ring is reflected on both degree and pathways of fragmentation, which makes tandem-MS a key tool for differentiation of imidazolidin-4-one isomers; (3) the major MS/MS fragmentation of PQProAA mimetics involves release of a neutral diketopiperazine (DKP), in parallel to the "diketopiperazine pathway" described in tandem-MS studies of oligopeptides; (4) the relative abundance of a major fragment in tandem-MS spectra is inversely correlated with the size of the N-terminal AA in PQProAA mimetics. Overall, this work embodies an original and valuable contribution towards a deeper insight into the molecular properties of novel antimalarials, which can be viewed as representative of both the 8-aminoquinoline and, especially, the imidazolidin-4-one structural classes.

Prodrugs for amines

The purpose of this work is to review the published strategies for the production of prodrugs of amines. The review is divided in two main groups of approaches: those that rely on enzymatic activation and those that take advantage of physiological chemical conditions for release of the drugs. A compilation of the most important approaches is presented in the form of a table, where the main advantages and disadvantages of each strategy are also referred.

Unanticipated Stereoselectivity in the Reaction of Primaquine α-Aminoamides with Substituted Benzaldehydes: A Computational and Experimental Study

Imidazolidin-4-ones are commonly employed as skeletal modifications in bioactive oligopeptides, either as proline surrogates or for protection of the N-terminal amino acid against aminopeptidase- and endopeptidase-catalyzed hydrolysis. Imidazolidin-4-one synthesis usually involves the reaction of an alpha-aminoamide moiety with a ketone or an aldehyde to yield an imine, followed by intramolecular cyclization. We have unexpectedly found that imidazolidin-4-one formation is stereoselective when benzaldehydes containing o-carboxyl or o-methoxycarbonyl substituents are reacted with alpha-aminoamide derivatives of the antimalarial drug primaquine. A systematic computational and experimental study on the stereoselectivity of imidazolidin-4-one formation from primaquine alpha-aminoamides and various substituted benzaldehydes has been carried out, and they have allowed us to conclude that intramolecular hydrogen-bonds involving the C=O oxygen of the o-substituent play a crucial role.

Prodrugs for the treatment of neglected diseases

Recently, World Health Organization (WHO) and Medicins San Frontieres (MSF) proposed a classification of diseases as global, neglected and extremely neglected. Global diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular and mental (CNS) diseases represent the targets of the majority of the R&D efforts of pharmaceutical companies. Neglected diseases affect millions of people in the world yet existing drug therapy is limited and often inappropriate. Furthermore, extremely neglected diseases affect people living under miserable conditions who barely have access to the bare necessities for survival. Most of these diseases are excluded from the goals of the R&D programs in the pharmaceutical industry and therefore fall outside the pharmaceutical market. About 14 million people,mainly in developing countries, die each year from infectious diseases. From 1975 to 1999,1393 new drugs were approved yet only 1% were for the treatment of neglected diseases[3]. These numbers have not changed until now, so in those countries there is an urgent need for the design and synthesis of new drugs and in this area the prodrug approach is a very interesting field. It provides, among other effects, activity improvements and toxicity decreases for current and new drugs, improving market availability. It is worth noting that it is essential in drug design to save time and money, and prodrug approaches can be considered of high interest in this respect. The present review covers 20 years of research on the design of prodrugs for the treatment of neglected and extremely neglected diseases such as Chagas' disease (American trypanosomiasis), sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis), malaria, sickle cell disease, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis.

The effect of glycation on the chemical and enzymatic stability of the endogenous opioid peptide, leucine–enkephalin, and related fragments

Nonenzymatic glycation is a posttranslational modification of peptides and proteins by sugars, which, after a cascade of reactions, leads to the formation of a complex family of irreversibly changed adducts implicated in the pathogenesis of human diseases. The stability of the Amadori compounds, the last reversible intermediates, determines the further course of the reaction. To provide information concerning the fate of glycated opioid peptides introduced into human circulation, the enzymatic (80% human serum) and chemical (phosphate buffer) stability of three Amadori compounds related to the endogenous opioid pentapeptide, leucine-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu), and to its N-terminal fragments: N-(1-deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)-l-tyrosyl-glycyl-glycyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-leucine, N-(1-deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)-L-tyrosyl-glycyl-glycine, and N-(1-deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)-L-tyrosine were investigated. The results obtained in human serum indicate that N-terminal glycation of leucine-enkephalin significantly enhances proteolytic stability. While leucine-enkephalin itself was rapidly degraded (t1/2 = 14.8 min), the glycated-derivative was slowly converted (t1/2 = 14 h) to the corresponding Amadori /compound of Tyr-Gly-Gly and Phe-Leu. In phosphate buffer, the rate of hydrolysis of the Amadori compounds depends on the structure and length of the peptide moiety as well as on the concentration of the phosphate buffer. The hydrolysis patterns for the Amadori compounds in phosphate buffer and in human serum were not the same and appear to be specific for each substrate.

Kinetics of degradation of 4-imidazolidinone prodrug types obtained from reacting prilocaine with formaldehyde and acetaldehyde

The kinetics of decomposition of 4-imidazolidinone prodrug types obtained by reacting prilocaine (I) with formaldehyde and acetaldehyde has been studied in aqueous solution in the pH range 1-7.4 at 60 and 37 degrees C, respectively. At pH<5 the hydrolysis of the derivative derived from formaldehyde (II) to yield I obeyed apparent first-order kinetics. At higher pH, the decomposition reactions proceeded to an equilibrium and the reactions could be described by first- and second-order reversible kinetics. A plot of the logarithm of the apparent first-order rate constants for hydrolysis of II against pH resulted in a sigmoidal-shaped pH-rate profile characteristic for the hydrolysis of many N-Mannich bases. A half-life at pH 7.4 (60 degrees C) of 6.9h for compound II was calculated. Compared to II the 4-imidazolidinone derived from acetaldehyde (III) exhibited enhanced instability in aqueous buffer solutions. The decomposition was followed at 37 degrees C monitoring the decrease in concentration of intact (III). At acidic pH the reactions displayed strict first-order kinetics and the disappearance of III was accompanied by a concomitant formation of I. At pH 7.4, the rate data also applied reasonably well to first-order kinetics despite the observation that small amounts of III was formed at pH 7.4 from a solution containing equimolar concentrations of acetaldehyde and prilocaine (10(-4)M). In case of III, a bell-shaped pH-rate profile was obtained by plotting the logarithm of the pseudo-first-order rate constants against pH indicating the involvement of a kinetically significant intermediate in the reaction pathway and a change of the rate-limiting step in the overall reaction with pH. For the stability studies performed at pH 6.9 and 7.4 product analysis revealed that parallel to formation of (I) an unknown compound (X) emerged. Compared to III, compound X is hydrolysed to give I at a slower rate (t(50%)=30 h at 37 degrees C). Based on LC-MS data it is suggested that (X) is an isomeric form of III, which may exist in four diastereomeric forms. Thus, at physiological pH an initial relatively fast regeneration of I from III is to be expected followed by a slower drug activation resulting from hydrolysis of the isomeric form of III.

Opioid activity of 4-imidazolidinone positional analogues of Leu-Enkephalin

Modulation of opioid activity was accomplished for analogues of Leu-enkephalin through incorporation of a 4-imidazolidinone moiety. The peptide backbone was constrained via a methylene bridge between two neighboring amides within its regular peptide sequence, which was expected to disrupt the secondary structure of the original molecule. Five positional analogues of Leu-enkephalin based on the same sequence and different location of the imidazolidinone-constrict were designed, synthesized, and examined for their affinity to micro-, delta- and kappa-opioid receptors.

Modification and inhibition of vancomycin group antibiotics by formaldehyde and acetaldehyde

It is shown that several vancomycin group antibiotics (vancomycin, eremomycin, and avoparcin) undergo spontaneous chemical modifications when kept at room temperature at neutral pH in aqueous solutions containing traces of formaldehyde or acetaldehyde. This chemical modification predominantly results in a mass increase of 12 Da in the reaction with formaldehyde and 26 Da in the case of acetaldehyde. By using tandem mass spectrometry the modification can unambiguously be identified as originating from the formation of a ring-closed 4-imidazolidinone moiety at the N-terminus of the glycopeptide antibiotics, that is, near the receptor binding pocket of the glycopeptide antibiotics. Bioaffinity mass spectrometry shows that this ring-closure results in a dramatically decreased affinity for the peptidoglycan-mimicking D-alanyl-D-alanine receptor. Additionally, in vitro inhibition measurements on two different strains of bacteria have revealed that the modified antibiotics display reduced antibacterial activity. The ring-closure is also shown to have a dissociative effect on the dimerization of the vancomycin-analogue eremomycin. The spontaneous reaction of vancomycin with formaldehyde or acetaldehyde may have implications not only for the clinical use of this class of antibiotics, but also for the effectiveness of these antibiotics when they are used in chiral separation chromatography or capillary electrophoresis.

TR146 cells grown on filters as a model of human buccal epithelium: V. Enzyme activity of the TR146 cell culture model, human buccal epithelium and porcine buccal epithelium, and permeability of leu-enkephalin

The objective of the present study was to characterise the TR146 cell culture model as an in vitro model of human buccal mucosa with respect to the enzyme activity in the tissues. For this purpose, the contents of aminopeptidase, carboxypeptidase and esterase in homogenate supernatants of the TR146 cell culture model, and human and porcine buccal epithelium were compared. The esterase activity in the intact cell culture model and in the porcine buccal mucosa was compared. Further, the TR146 cell culture model was used to study the permeability rate and metabolism of leu-enkephalin. The activity of the three enzymes in the TR146 homogenate supernatants was in the same range as the activity in homogenate supernatants of human buccal epithelium. In the TR146 cell culture model, the activity of aminopeptidase (13.70+/-2.10 nmol/min per mg protein) was approx. four times the activity of carboxypeptidase (3.73+/-0.53 nmol/min per mg protein), whereas the level of esterase activity was significantly higher (223.39+/-69.82 nmol/min per mg protein). In the TR146 cell culture model, the apical esterase activity was found significantly higher than the basal activity, and found comparable to the porcine buccal mucosa. However, the esterase activity on the serosal side of the porcine buccal mucosa was higher than in the TR146 cell culture model. Approx. 1.5% of leu-enkephalin permeated the TR146 cell layers within 5 h (P(app) 7.38+/-0.83x10(-7) cm/s) and approx. 77% of intact peptide was still present in the donor phase after 5 h. The present study suggests that the TR146 cell culture model is a valuable in vitro model for permeability and metabolism studies with enzymatically labile drugs, such as leu-enkephalin, intended for buccal drug delivery.