Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of peptides containing basic amino acids residues.

We synthesized eight peptides containing from three to twenty residues of arginine, lysine and histidine, using an automated synthetiser and Fmoc strategy. All peptides were purified by preparative reverse-phase HPLC and characterized by electrospay mass spectometry. Cytotoxic activity was assessed on HeLa cells. One peptide inhibited the colony-forming ability of tumor cells.