New Levan-Based Chiral Stationary Phases: Synthesis and Comparative HPLC Enantioseparation of (±)-trans-ß-Lactam Ureas in the Polar Organic Mode.

In this paper, the preparation of three new polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) based on levan carbamates (3,5-dimethylphenyl, 4-methylphenyl, and 1-naphthyl) is described. The enantioseparation of (±)-trans-ß-lactam ureas 1a-h was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on six different chiral columns (Chiralpak AD-3, Chiralcel OD-3, Chirallica PST-7, Chirallica PST-8, Chirallica PST-9, and Chirallica PST-10) in the polar organic mode, using pure methanol (MeOH), ethanol (EtOH), and acetonitrile (ACN). Apart from the Chirallica PST-9 column (based on levan tris(1-naphthylcarbamate), the columns exhibited a satisfactory chiral recognition ability for the tested trans-ß-lactam ureas 1a-h.

Multicomponent reaction derived small di- and tri-carbohydrate-based glycomimetics as tools for probing lectin specificity.

Lectins, carbohydrate-binding proteins, play important functions in all forms of life from bacteria and viruses to plants, animals, and humans, participating in cell-cell communication and pathogen binding. In an attempt to modify lectin functions, artificial lectin ligands were made usually as big dendrimeric or cluster multivalent glycomimetic structures. Here we synthesized a novel set of glycomimetic ligands through protection/deprotection multicomponent reactions (MCR) approach. Multivalent di-and tri-carbohydrate glycomimetics containing D-fructose, D-galactose, and D-allose moieties were prepared in 63-96% yield. MCR glycomimetics demonstrated different binding abilities for plant lectins Con A and UEA I, and human galectin-3. Information gained about the influence of molecule structure, multivalency and optical purity on the lectin binding ability can be used in lectin detection and sensitivity measurements to further facilitate understanding of carbohydrate recognition process.

Multicomponent Approach to Homo- and Hetero-Multivalent Glycomimetics Bearing Rare Monosaccharides.

We applied a multicomponent approach to access a library of densely functionalized homo- and hetero-multivalent glycomimetics comprising aldehyde, amine, and isocyanide components related to isopropylidene-protected d-fructose, l-sorbose, d-galactose, and d-allose. Passerini products were obtained in very good yields (up to 78%) and high diastereoselectivities (up to 98:2). Three types of products were obtained by the Ugi reaction; along with the "classical" four-component product, α-acylaminoamides, a three-component α-aminoamides, and a four- component α-aminoacylamides were isolated. The presence of multiple pathways is rationalized by the structure of the imidate intermediate, mainly influenced by the amine component.

Design and synthesis of novel antimicrobial peptide scaffolds.

Muramic acid (Mur), a sugar amino acid (SAA), is present in the cell walls of bacteria asN-acetyl muramic acid (MurNAc) where together with ofN-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and peptide makes main building block of peptidoglycan (PGN). It was challenging to incorporate muramic acid as SAA characteristic for bacteria into the peptides and investigate the antimicrobial activity of these scaffolds. Four building units were used in designing the desired peptide: muramic acid, tetrapeptide Leu-Ser-Lys-Leu, Nε-Lys, and Asn. Positions of three components were changeable while the position of Asn was always C-terminal (in linear peptides). The glycopeptide libraries of linear and cyclic peptides were synthesized using solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). The antimicrobial effect of linear and cyclic glycopeptides, as well as the LSKL sequence used as a control, was investigated on several standard laboratory microbial strains. Liner glycopeptide with sequences Leu-Ser-Lys-Leu-Nε-Lys-Mur-Asn was active onStaphylococcus aureus(Gram-positive bacteria). Prepared compounds did not show activity towards applied tumor and normal human cell lines.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of quercetin and resveratrol peptidyl derivatives as potential anticancer and antioxidant agents.

Quercetin and resveratrol are polyphenolic compounds, members of the flavonoid and the stilbene family, respectively, both medicinally important as dietary anticancer and antioxidant agents. They are present in a variety of foods-including fruits, vegetables, tea, wine, as well as other dietary supplements-and are responsible for various health benefits. Different quercetin and resveratrol esters of Leu/Met-enkephalin and tetrapeptide Leu-Ser-Lys-Leu (LSKL) were synthesized as model systems for monitoring the influence of the peptides on biological activity of resveratrol and quercetin. General formula of the main peptidyl-quercetin derivatives is 2-[3-(aa)n-4-hydroxyphenyl]-3,5,7-tri-hydroxy-4H-1-benzopyran-4-on, and the general formula of the main peptidyl-resveratrol derivatives is (E)-5-[4-(aa)n)styryl]benzene-1,3-diol. The antioxidant and anticancer activities of prepared compounds were investigated. Significant anticancer activity was obtained for the LSKL-based both quercetin and resveratrol derivatives. All prepared compounds exhibit antioxidant activity, in particular quercetin derivative containing Met-enkephalin.

Synthesis of Glycomimetics by Diastereoselective Passerini Reaction.

We describe the utilization of bis-isopropylidene-protected d-fructose-derived aldehyde in the Passerini reaction with various acids and isocyanides. A library of densely functionalized glycomimetics bearing up to 3 carbohydrate units was obtained in high yields and diastereoselectivities. The configuration of the newly formed stereocenter was determined and the diastereoselectivity was rationalized by DFT calculations.

Amadori and Heyns rearrangement products of bioactive peptides as potential new ligands of galectin-3.

Non-enzymatic cascade reactions between amines and reducing sugars are known as Maillard reaction. The late phase of these reactions consists of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous human diseases. Recent evidence suggests that galectin-3 acts as a receptor for AGEs and some early products of the Maillard reaction. The early phase of the Maillard reaction, which consists of 1-amino-1-deoxyketoses (Amadori compounds) and 2-amino-2-deoxyaldoses (Heyns compounds), was the subject of our study. The binding interactions between galectin-3 and the Amadori and Heyns compounds of leucine-enkephalin (YGGFL), leucine-enkephalin methyl ester (YGGFL-OMe), truncated enkephalin (YGG and Y) and tetrapeptide (LSKL) were measured using the AlphaScreen competitive binding assay. The affinity of galectin-3 for Amadori and Heyns compounds depends on both the sugar moiety and the amino acid sequence of the model compounds. The best results were obtained with Leu-enkephalin derivatives of Amadori (IC50 = 6.06 µm) and Heyns (IC50 = 8.6 µm) compound, respectively.

Synthesis, Absolute Configuration, Biological Profile and Antiproliferative Activity of New 3,5-Disubstituted Hydantoins.

Hydantoins, a class of five-membered heterocyclic compounds, exhibit diverse biological activities. The aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize a series of novel 3,5-disubstituted hydantoins and to investigate their antiproliferative activity against human cancer cell lines. The new hydantoin derivatives 5a-i were prepared as racemic mixtures of syn- and anti-isomers via a base-assisted intramolecular amidolysis of C-3 functionalized ß-lactams. The enantiomers of syn-5a and anti-hydantoins 5b were separated by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using n-hexane/2-propanol (90/10, v/v) as the mobile phase. The absolute configuration of the four allyl hydantoin enantiomers 5a was assigned based on a comparison of the experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra with those calculated using density functional theory (DFT). The antiproliferative activity evaluated in vitro against three different human cancer cell lines: HepG2 (liver hepatocellular carcinoma), A2780 (ovarian carcinoma), and MCF7 (breast adenocarcinoma), and on the non-tumor cell line HFF1 (normal human foreskin fibroblasts) using the MTT cell proliferation assay. In silico drug-like properties and ADMET profiles were estimated using the ADMET Predictor ver. 9.5 and the online server admetSAR. Eighteen new 3,5-disubstituted hydantoins were synthesized and characterized. The compound anti-5c showed potent cytotoxic activity against the human tumor cell line MCF7 (IC50 = 4.5 µmol/L) and the non-tumor cell line HFF1 (IC50 = 12.0 µmol/L). In silico analyzes revealed that the compounds exhibited moderate water solubility and membrane permeability and are likely substrates for CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein and have a high probability of antiarthritic activity.

Adsorption/Desorption of Cationic-Hydrophobic Peptides on Zwitterionic Lipid Bilayer Is Associated with the Possibility of Proton Transfer.

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptides built up from dominantly cationic and hydrophobic amino acid residues with a distinguished ability to pass through the cell membrane. Due to the possibility of linking and delivering the appropriate cargo at the desired location, CPPs are considered an economic and less invasive alternative to antibiotics. Besides knowing that their membrane passage mechanism is a complex function of CPP chemical composition, the ionic strength of the solution, and the membrane composition, all other details on how they penetrate cell membranes are rather vague. The aim of this study is to elucidate the ad(de)sorption of arginine-/lysine- and phenylalanine-rich peptides on a lipid membrane composed of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) lipids. DSC and temperature-dependent UV-Vis measurements confirmed the impact of the adsorbed peptides on thermotropic properties of DPPC, but in an inconclusive way. On the other hand, FTIR spectra acquired at 30 °C and 50 °C (when DPPC lipids are found in the gel and fluid phase, respectively) unambiguously confirmed the proton transfer between particular titratable functional groups of R5F2/K5F2 that highly depend on their immediate surroundings (DPPC or a phosphate buffer). Molecular dynamic simulations showed that both peptides may adsorb onto the bilayer, but K5F2 desorbs more easily and favors the solvent, while R5F2 remains attached. The results obtained in this work highlight the importance of proton transfer in the design of CPPs with their desired cargo, as its charge and composition dictates the possibility of entering the cell.

Glycation of a lysine-containing tetrapeptide by D-glucose and D-fructose--influence of different reaction conditions on the formation of Amadori/Heyns products.

The site specificity, extent, and nature of modification of the tetrapeptide, Leu-Ser-Lys-Leu (1), incubated with d-glucose or d-fructose in methanol, or in phosphate buffer of pH 5.7, 7.4, and 8.0 were investigated. The generated mono- and di-glycated Amadori (1-deoxy-d-fructosyl derivatives) and Heyns rearrangement products (N-alkylated glucosamine/mannosamine derivatives) were isolated and characterized by NMR and mass spectrometry. The results identified the epsilon-amino group of the Lys residue as the preferential glycation site in tetrapeptide 1. Under all conditions investigated, glucose afforded higher yields of glycation products than fructose. In the reactions carried out in buffer, glycation at pH 7.4 and 8.0 was much faster than at pH 5.7.

The mechanism behind the selection of two different cleavage sites in NAG-NAM polymers.

Peptidoglycan is a giant molecule that forms the cell wall that surrounds bacterial cells. It is composed of alternating N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM) residues connected by ß-(1,4)-glycosidic bonds and cross-linked with short polypeptide chains. Owing to the increasing antibiotic resistance against drugs targeting peptidoglycan synthesis, studies of enzymes involved in the degradation of peptidoglycan, such as N-acetylglucos-aminidases, may expose new, valuable drug targets. The scientific challenge addressed here is how lysozymes, muramidases which are likely to be the most studied enzymes ever, and bacterial N-acetylglucosaminidases discriminate between two glycosidic bonds that are different in sequence yet chemically equivalent in the same NAG-NAM polymers. In spite of more than fifty years of structural studies of lysozyme, it is still not known how the enzyme selects the bond to be cleaved. Using macromolecular crystallography, chemical synthesis and molecular modelling, this study explains how these two groups of enzymes based on an equivalent structural core exhibit a difference in selectivity. The crystal structures of Staphylococcus aureusN-acetylglucosaminidase autolysin E (AtlE) alone and in complex with fragments of peptidoglycan revealed that N-acetylglucosaminidases and muramidases approach the substrate at alternate glycosidic bond positions from opposite sides. The recognition pocket for NAM residues in the active site of N-acetylglucosaminidases may make them a suitable drug target.

Tumor-cell-targeted methionine-enkephalin analogues containing unnatural amino acids: design, synthesis, and in vitro antitumor activity.

A series of new peptides (8-25) containing different unnatural amino acids of the adamantane type (1-6), was synthesized. Possible cytotoxic activity on human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa), larynx carcinoma (HEp-2), colon carcinomas (HT-29, Caco-2), poorly differentiated cells from lymph node metastasis of colon carcinoma (SW-620), mammary gland adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), and melanoma (HBL) cells were tested by the MTT assay. The results were compared with the effect of methionine-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met, or opioid growth factor, OGF), and its shorter N-terminal fragments. Peptide analogues containing C(alpha alpha)-dialkylated glycine (Aaa1, 1) or C(alpha)-alkylated glycine (Aaa2, 2) amino acid residues showed antitumor activity against melanoma, larynx carcinoma, colon carcinomas, and colon metastasis cell lines in vitro. The pentapeptide Tyr-(R,S)-Aaa2-Gly-Phe-Met (18) was the most effective analogue especially against the most antitumor drug-resistant cell lines HEp-2 and SW-620. Apoptosis as a mode of cell death was confirmed in these tumor cells after exposure to pentapeptide 18.

The Maillard reaction induced modifications of endogenous opioid peptide enkephalin.

Nonenzymatic glycation (Maillard reaction) 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 advanced glycation end products (AGE) implicated in the pathogenesis of human diseases. Last reversible intermediates of this reaction are Amadori/Heyns compounds formed in glucose/fructose induced modification of peptides. The stability of these compounds determines the further course of the reaction.To provide information concerning the preparation of model systems as well as the fate of glycated opioid peptides introduced in the human circulation, the enzymatic (80 % human serum) and chemical (PBS) stability of Amadori and Heyns compounds related to the endogenous opioid pentapeptides leucine- and methionine-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu/Met) were investigated.

Novel side-chain glucosylated and adamantylated [Asp(2)/Glu(2)]enkephalin analogs: synthesis and in vitro growth inhibition of human tumor cells.

A series of new backbone-modified Leu- and Met-enkephalin analogs (13-20 a and b) were synthesized. Backbone manipulations involved the replacement of the Gly(2) residue in Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu/Met with side-chain glucosylated or adamantylated D/L-aspartic or -glutamic acids. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of these compounds was evaluated for several cell lines and the results were compared with the effect of Met-enkephalin, the native opioid growth factor. The tested compounds modestly inhibited the growth of the tumor cells (20-50% inhibition at millimolar concentrations). Among the tested compounds, Tyr-D-Glu(AdNH)-Gly-Phe-Met (20b) showed significant antiproliferative activity, somewhat more pronounced on MCF-7 (breast carcinoma) and MOLT-4 (lymphoblastic leukemia) cells.

Fructose-induced N-terminal glycation of enkephalins and related peptides.

The formation of glycation products in model systems consisting of fructose and the endogenous opioid peptides not containing lysine residue, such as Leu-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu) and Met-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met), or of their fragments, Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe and Tyr-Gly-Gly, was examined. N-(2-Deoxy-aldos-2-yl)-peptides (Heyns compounds) as well as diastereoisomeric imidazolidinone compounds were identified as reaction products of N-terminal amino group glycation for each of the peptides studied. The structure of the glycation products and relative configuration of C-2 substituents on the imidazolidinone ring in diastereoisomers were determined by NMR experiments. The chemical and enzymatic stability of the fructose-derived glycated products of Leu- and Met-enkephalin was studied in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) and in human serum at 37 degrees C. The obtained results revealed that glycation increases the stability of the parent peptide to enzymatic degradation. As a result of different configuration at the newly formed stereogenic center, large stability differences in the 2S* and 2R* isomers of the imidazolidinone compounds were observed.

The influence of cell growth media on the stability and antitumour activity of methionine enkephalin.

Studies with cultured tumour cell lines are widely used in vitro to evaluate peptide-induced cytotoxicity as well as molecular and biochemical interactions. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of the cell culture medium on peptide metabolic stability and in vitro antitumour activity. The degradation kinetics of the model peptide methionine enkephalin (Met-E, Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met), demonstrated recently to play an important role in the rate of proliferation of tumour cells in vitro and in vivo, were investigated in cell culture systems containing different amounts of fetal bovine serum (FBS). The influence of enzyme inhibitors (bestatin, captopril, thiorphan) on the Met-E degradation was also investigated. The results obtained in the Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium containing 10% FBS indicated a rapid degradation of Met-E (t(1/2) = 2.8 h). Preincubation of the medium with a mixture of peptidase inhibitors reduced the hydrolysis of Met-E, as shown by the increased half-life to 10 h. The in vitro activity of Met-E against poorly differentiated cells from lymph node metastasis of colon carcinoma (SW620) and human larynx carcinoma (HEp-2) cells was determined. Tumour cells were grown for 3 weeks prior to the experiment in a medium supplemented with 10%, 5% or 2% FBS. Statistically significant to mild or no suppression of cell proliferation was observed in all cultures. In both cell lines, a significant suppression of cell growth by a combination of peptidase inhibitors and Met-E, compared with cells exposed to the peptide alone and cells grown in the absence of Met-E, was observed. This study indicated that caution must be exercised in interpreting the antiproliferative effects of peptide compounds in conventional drug-response assays.

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.

Study of degradation pathways of Amadori compounds obtained by glycation of opioid pentapeptide and related smaller fragments: stability, reactions, and spectroscopic properties.

Reactions between biological amines and reducing sugars (the Maillard reaction) are among the most important of the chemical and oxidative changes occurring in biological systems that contribute to the formation of a complex family of rearranged and dehydrated covalent adducts that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of human diseases. In this study, chemistry of the Maillard reactions was studied in four model systems containing fructosamines (Amadori compounds) obtained from the endogenous opioid pentapeptide leucine-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu), leucine-enkephalin methyl ester, structurally related tripeptide (Tyr-Gly-Gly), or from amino acid (Tyr). The degradation of model compounds as well as their ability to develop Maillard fluorescence was investigated under oxidative conditions in methanol and phosphate buffer pH 7.4 at two different temperatures (37 and 70 degrees C). At 37 degrees C, glycated leucine-enkephalin degraded slowly in methanol (t(1/2) approximately 13 days) and phosphate buffer (t(1/2) approximately 9 days), producing a parent peptide compound as a major product throughout a three-week incubation period. Whereas fluorescence slowly increased over time at 37 degrees C, incubations off all studied Amadori compounds at 70 degrees C resulted in a rapid appearance of a brown color and sharp increase in AGE (advanced glycation end products)-associated fluorescence (excitation 320 nm/emmision 420 nm) as well as in distinctly higher amounts of fragmentation products. The obtained data indicated that the shorter the peptide chain the more degradation products were formed. These studies have also helped to identify a new chemical transformation of the peptide backbone in the Maillard reaction that lead to beta-scission of N-terminal tyrosine side chain and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde formation under both aqueous and nonaqueous conditions.

Peptide and amino acid glycation: new insights into the Maillard reaction.

Nonenzymatic glycation of proteins, peptides and other macromolecules (the Maillard reaction) has been implicated in a number of pathologies, most clearly in diabetes mellitus. but also in the normal processes of aging and neurodegenerative amyloid diseases such as Alzheimer's. In the early stage, glycation results in the formation of Amadori-modified proteins. In the later stages, advanced glycation end products (AGE) are irreversibly formed from Amadori products leading to the formation of reactive intermediates, crosslinking of proteins, and the formation of brown and fluorescent polymeric materials. Although, the glycation of structural proteins has been attributed a key role in the complications of diabetes, recent attention has been devoted to the physiological significance of glycated peptide hormones. This review focuses on the physico-chemical properties of the Amadori compounds of bioactive peptides of endogenous and exogenous origin, such as Leu-enkephalin and morphiceptin, investigated under different conditions as well as on novel pathways in the Maillard reaction observed from investigating intramolecular events in ester-linked glycopeptides.