Computational structure-activity study directs synthesis of novel antitumor enkephalin analogs

Amino Acids. 2010 Apr;38(4):1185-91. doi: 10.1007/s00726-009-0329-5. Epub 2009 Jul 29.

Abstract

The capability of a Support Vector Machines QSAR model to predict the antiproliferative ability of small peptides was evaluated by screening a virtual library of enkephalin-like analogs modified by incorporation of the (R,S)-(1-adamantyl)glycine (Aaa) residue. From an initial set of 390 compounds, the peptides, Tyr-Aaa-Gly-Phe-Met (2), Tyr-Aaa-Gly-Phe-Phe (3), Phe-Aaa-Gly-Phe-Phe (4) and Phe-Aaa-Gly-Phe-Met (5) were selected, synthesized and their antitumor activity was tested and compared to that of Met-enkephalin (1). The antiproliferative activity correlated with the computational prediction and with the foldamer-forming ability of the studied peptides. The most active compounds were the hydrophobic peptides, Phe-Aaa-Gly-Phe-Phe (4) and Phe-Aaa-Gly-Phe-Met (5), having a greater propensity to adopt folded structures than the other peptides.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adamantane / analogs & derivatives
  • Adamantane / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemical synthesis*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Computational Biology / methods*
  • Cytostatic Agents / chemical synthesis*
  • Cytostatic Agents / chemistry
  • Cytostatic Agents / pharmacology
  • Databases, Factual
  • Drug Design*
  • Enkephalin, Methionine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Enkephalin, Methionine / chemistry
  • Enkephalin, Methionine / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Oligopeptides / chemical synthesis
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Protein Conformation
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Software

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Cytostatic Agents
  • Oligopeptides
  • phenylalanyl-1-adamantylacetic acid-glycyl-phenylalanyl-methionine
  • phenylalanyl-1-adamantylacetic acid-glycyl-phenylalanyl-phenylalanine
  • Enkephalin, Methionine
  • Adamantane