1 research outputs found
Development of Novel Peptide-Based Michael Acceptors Targeting Rhodesain and Falcipain‑2 for the Treatment of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
This paper describes
the development of a class of peptide-based
inhibitors as novel antitrypanosomal and antimalarial agents. The
inhibitors are based on a characteristic peptide sequence for the
inhibition of the cysteine proteases rhodesain of Trypanosoma
brucei rhodesiense and falcipain-2 of Plasmodium falciparum. We exploited the reactivity
of novel unsaturated electrophilic functions such as vinyl-sulfones,
-ketones, -esters, and -nitriles. The Michael acceptors inhibited
both rhodesain and falcipain-2, at nanomolar and micromolar levels,
respectively. In particular, the vinyl ketone <b>3b</b> has
emerged as a potent rhodesain inhibitor (<i>k</i><sub>2nd</sub> = 67 × 10<sup>6</sup> M<sup>–1</sup> min<sup>–1</sup>), endowed with a picomolar binding affinity (<i>K</i><sub>i</sub> = 38 pM), coupled with a single-digit micromolar activity
against Trypanosoma brucei brucei (EC<sub>50</sub> = 2.97 ÎĽM), thus being considered as a novel lead
compound for the discovery of novel effective antitrypanosomal agents