Naphthalimide-based, Single-Chromophore, Emission Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor for Tracking Intracellular pH.

We report a novel, reversible, cell-permeable, pH-sensor, TRapH. TRapH afforded a pH-sensitive ratiometric emission response in the pH range ~3-6, enabling imaging and quantification of pH in living cells. The biological-applicability of TRapH was illustrated via live-tracking of intracellular pH dynamics in living mammalian cells induced by a synthetic H+-transporter.

Small molecule-derived pH-gated ion transporters.

The pH regulation of transmembrane ion transport is critical for biological processes and has a direct implication on diseases such as cancer. Synthetic transporters that can be regulated using pH show promise as therapeutic agents. This review highlights the importance of the fundamental principles of acid-base chemistry in achieving pH regulation. A systematic classification of transporters based on the pKa of their pH-responsive units aids in correlating the pH regulation of ion transport with the molecular structure. This review also summarises the applications of these transporters and their efficacy in cancer therapy.

An Amphiphilic Peptide Carrier for HCl Transport.

Single molecules that co-transport cations as well as anions across lipid membranes are few despite their high biological utility. The elegant yet simple lipidomimmetic peptide design herein enables efficient HCl transport without the use of any external additives for proton transport. The carboxylic acids in the dipeptide scaffold provide a handle to append two long hydrophobic tails and also provide a polar hydrophilic carboxylate group. The peptide central unit also provides NH sites for anion binding. Protonation of the carboxylate group coupled with the weak halide binding of the terminal NH group results in HCl transport with transport rates of H+ >Cl- . The lipid-like structure also facilitates seamless membrane integration and flipping of the molecule. The biocompatibility, design simplicity, and potential pH regulation of these molecules open up several avenues for their therapeutic use.

Hydrophobic cyclic dipeptides as M+/Cl- carriers.

Transmembrane ion-pair co-transport using synthetic transporters is non-trivial. Herein, cyclic dipeptide ion-carriers with dangling ester motifs to bind cations and amide-NH to bind anions are reported. The pendant lipophilic norbornene units aid in membrane insertion to achieve MCl co-transport with this simple design.

Small Peptidic Ionophore for Calcium Transport.

Synthetic calcium transporters are few despite their potential biological significance. Herein, we report small alanine-derived peptides containing pyridyl-triazole motifs for inducing calcium selectivity. The peptides are decorated with hydrophobic alkyl chains to facilitate membrane insertion. The most efficient peptide scaffold has an EC50 value of 0.09 mol % and functions as a calcium carrier.

Quick Access to High-Purity Peptide Drugs Bradykinin, Leuprolide Analogue, 2(PZ-128), and Rapastinel with Minimal Reagents.

Peptide drugs bradykinin, a leuprolide analogue, 2(PZ-128), and rapastinel are synthesized in 56-77% yield using heating-assisted liquid-phase peptide synthesis on a soluble polynorbornene support. These drugs of commercial utility and complex structures are obtained in 2-5.5 h with no epimerization and >95% purity using only 1.2 equivalents of amino acids and coupling reagents. The peptide yield and purity are comparable or superior to the reported methods.

Ligand Induced CuII Transport Restricts Cancer and Mycobacterial Growth: Towards a Plug-and-Select Ion Channel Scaffold.

Synthetic channels with high ion selectivity are attractive drug targets for diseases involving ion dysregulation. Achieving selective transport of divalent ions is highly challenging due their high hydration energies. A small tripeptide amphiphilic scaffold installed with a pybox ligand selectively transports CuII ions across membranes. The peptide forms stable dimeric pores in the membrane and transports ions by a Cu2+ /H+ antiport mechanism. The ligand-induced excellent CuII selectivity as well as high membrane permeability of the peptide is exploited to promote cancer cell death. The peptide's ability to restrict mycobacterial growth serves as seeds to evolve antibacterial strategies centred on selectively modulating ion homeostasis in pathogens. This simple peptide can potentially function as a universal, yet versatile, scaffold wherein the ion selectivity can be precisely controlled by modifying the ligand at the C terminus.

Macrocyclic Transmembrane Anion Transporters via a One-Pot Condensation Reaction.

Synthetic chloride transporters are potential therapeutic agents for cystic fibrosis and cancer. Reported herein are macrocyclic transmembrane chloride transporters prepared by a one-pot condensation reaction. The most efficient macrocycle possesses a fine balance of hydrophobicity for membrane permeation and hydrophilicity for ion recognition. The macrocycle transports chloride ions by forming channels in the membrane. Hydrogen bonds and anion-π interactions assist chloride transport.

A rink-amide soluble support: high purity conotoxins and other peptides accessed with minimal reagents.

The use of peptides as therapeutics has been growing due to their biocompatibility. Solid phase peptide synthesis typically used to access these peptides requires excess reagents and/or microwave irradiation to drive reactions to completion because the reaction medium is heterogeneous. Reported herein is a soluble polynorbornene support containing rink amide attached sites for synthesizing oligopeptides and conotoxins in high purity using only 1.2 to 2 equivalents of coupling reagents. The support can be isolated as a precipitate from the reaction medium by adding ether. The loading capacity of the support can be easily determined by spectroscopy and can also be tuned by varying the monomer ratio. This support is promising for accessing peptides as the methodology uses minimal reagents and by-products can be easily separated.

Anion-Selective Cholesterol Decorated Macrocyclic Transmembrane Ion Carriers.

Anion transporters play a vital role in cellular processes and their dysregulation leads to a range of diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Bartter's syndrome and epilepsy. Synthetic chloride transporters are known to induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines. Herein, we report triamide macrocycles that are easily synthesized and externally functionalized by pendant membrane-permeable groups. Among a variety of chains appended onto the macrocycle scaffold, cholesterol is found to be the best with an EC50 value of 0.44 µM. The macrocycle is highly anion-selective and transports ions via an OH-/X- antiport mechanism. The macrocycle is an interesting scaffold for ion-transport as it is able to discriminate between various anions and shows a preference for SCN- and Cl-. Such anion-selective transporters are highly attractive model systems to study ion-transport mechanisms and could potentially be of high therapeutic value.

Correction: Triamide macrocyclic chloride receptors via a one-pot tandem reduction-condensation-cyclization reaction.

Correction for 'Triamide macrocyclic chloride receptors via a one-pot tandem reduction-condensation-cyclization reaction' by Harekrushna Behera, et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, DOI: .

Triamide macrocyclic chloride receptors via a one-pot tandem reduction-condensation-cyclization reaction.

A pyridine containing triamide macrocycle and its substituted analog have been synthesized in one pot from the corresponding monomer without the use of coupling reagents. The macrocycle can selectively bind chloride ions. The ease of synthesis and chloride-binding properties of the macrocycle make it a highly attractive scaffold for ion-encapsulation, ion-transport and water purification.

A minimalistic tetrapeptide amphiphile scaffold for transmembrane pores with a preference for sodium.

Synthetic channels or pores that are easy to synthesize, stable and cation-selective are extremely attractive for the development of therapeutics and materials. Herein, we report a pore developed from a small tetrapeptide scaffold that shows a preference for sodium over lithium/potassium. The sodium selectivity is attributed to the appended oligoether tail at the C-terminus. A peptide dimer is proposed as the predominant cation-transporting pore. Such pyridine containing stable pores can be potentially utilized for the pH modulated ion transport.

Cation-halide transport through peptide pores containing aminopicolinic acid.

Synthetic pores that selectively transport ions of biological significance through membranes could be potentially used in medical diagnostics or therapeutics. Herein, we report cation-selective octapeptide pores derived from alanine and aminopicolinic acid. The ion transport mechanism through the pores has been established to be a cation-chloride symport. The cation-chloride co-transport is biologically essential for the efficient functioning of the central nervous system and has been implicated in diseases such as epilepsy. The pores formed in synthetic lipid bilayers do not exhibit any closing events. The ease of synthesis as well as infinite lifetimes of these pores provides scope for modifying their transport behaviour to develop sensors.

Cation-Transporting Peptides: Scaffolds for Functionalized Pores?

Protein pores that selectively transport ions across membranes are among nature's most efficient machines. The selectivity of these pores can be exploited for ion sensing and water purification. Since it is difficult to reconstitute membrane proteins in their active form for practical applications it is desirable to develop robust synthetic compounds that selectively transport ions across cell membranes. One can envision tuning the selectivity of pores by incorporating functional groups inside the pore. Readily accessible octapeptides containing (aminomethyl)benzoic acid and alanine are reported here that preferentially transport cations over halides across the lipid bilayer. Ion transport is hypothesized through pores formed by stable assemblies of the peptides. The aromatic ring(s) appear to be proximal to the pore and could be potentially utilized for functionalizing the pore interior.

Aminobenzoic acid incorporated octapeptides for cation transport.

Robust oligopeptides that mimic natural ion channels are attractive for use as molecular switches or model systems to study ion transport. Herein, we report octapeptides derived from aminobenzoic acid and l/d amino acids. Two of the alanine containing peptides were found to be most active and the peptide containing p-aminobenzoic acid was found to be most active (2.4 times its m-analog). Experimental studies indicate the peptides do not transport halides and transport alkali metal ions.

Soluble non-cross-linked poly(norbornene) supports for peptide synthesis with minimal reagents.

Solid-phase peptide synthesis has been an attractive method for synthesizing peptides because it is quick and can be automated. The heterogeneous reaction medium in solid-phase peptide synthesis necessitates the use of large equivalents of reagents to drive the reactions to completion. Peptide synthesis using soluble, yet isolable, supports is an attractive alternative to solid-phase peptide synthesis. Reported herein is a soluble poly(norbornene)-derived support containing multiple attachment sites for high loading capacities and solubilizing oligoether/alkyl groups. The Ala-attached support has been used to synthesize tri- to octapeptides in 28 to 97% yields using only 1.2 equiv of amino acids and coupling reagents. The acyclic hexapeptide precursor to natural product segatalin A was synthesized in 41% yield on the support using one-eighth of the equivalents of coupling reagents compared to that in reported procedures. The support could be recovered in up to 98% yield after peptide synthesis, and the recovered support was utilized to synthesize tri- and tetrapeptides that contain amino acids other than Ala at the C-terminus in ca. 80% yields.

The curious case of benzbromarone: insight into super-inhibition of cytochrome P450.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of redox enzymes metabolize drugs and xenobiotics in liver microsomes. Isozyme CYP2C9 is reported to be inhibited by benzbromarone (BzBr) and this phenomenon was hitherto explained by classical active-site binding. Theoretically, it was impossible to envisage the experimentally derived sub-nM Ki for an inhibitor, when supra-nM enzyme and 10X KM substrate concentrations were employed. We set out to find a more plausible explanation for this highly intriguing "super-inhibition" phenomenon. In silico docking of various BzBr analogs with known crystal structure of CYP2C9 did not provide any evidence in support of active-site based inhibition hypothesis. Experiments tested the effects of BzBr and nine analogs on CYPs in reconstituted systems of lab-purified proteins, complex baculosomes & crude microsomal preparations. In certain setups, BzBr and its analogs could even enhance reactions, which cannot be explained by an active site hypothesis. Generally, it was seen that Ki became smaller by orders of magnitude, upon increasing the dilution order of BzBr analogs. Also, it was seen that BzBr could also inhibit other CYP isozymes like CYP3A4, CYP2D6 and CYP2E1. Further, amphipathic derivatives of vitamins C & E (scavengers of diffusible reactive oxygen species or DROS) effectively inhibited CYP2C9 reactions in different reaction setups. Therefore, the inhibition of CYP activity by BzBr analogs (which are also surface-active redox agents) is attributed to catalytic scavenging of DROS at phospholipid interface. The current work expands the scope of interpretations of inhibitions in redox enzymes and ushers in a new cellular biochemistry paradigm that small amounts of DROS may be obligatorily required in routine redox metabolism for constructive catalytic roles.

Soluble and reusable poly(norbornene) supports with high loading capacities for peptide synthesis.

Poly(norbornene) supports comprising solubilizing ethylene glycol units and multiple amino acid attachment sites have been developed for peptide synthesis. A variety of amino acids have been efficiently loaded (0.6-1.1 mmol/g) onto the support in high yields (83-98%). Several tripeptides have been synthesized in moderate-to-good overall yields (41-66%) using only 1.2 equiv of coupling reagents/amino acids, and the support could be efficiently recycled up to 3 times.

Active ion transporters from readily accessible acyclic octapeptides containing 3-aminobenzoic acid and alanine.

Ion transporters have been developed from acyclic octapeptides comprising L/D alanine and m-aminobenzoic acid. These octapeptides transport cations up to 3 times faster than their cyclic analog through lipid vesicles. Preliminary CD, XRD and computational studies allude to a 6-9 Å wide tetrameric ion channel as the active ion transporter.