Tackling lipophilicity of peptide drugs: replacement of the backbone N-methyl group of cilengitide by N-oligoethylene glycol (N-OEG) chains

Bioconjug Chem. 2014 Jan 15;25(1):11-7. doi: 10.1021/bc4003844. Epub 2013 Dec 17.

Abstract

Cilengitide is an RGD-peptide of sequence cyclo[RGDfNMeV] that was was developed as a highly active and selective ligand for the αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrin receptors. We describe the synthesis of three analogues of this peptide in which the N-Me group has been replaced by N-oligoethylene glycol (N-OEG) chains of increasing size: namely N-OEG2, N-OEG11, and N-OEG23, which are respectively composed of 2, 11, and 23 ethylene oxide monomer units. The different N-OEG cyclopeptides and the original peptide were compared with respect to lipophilicity and biological activity. The N-OEG2 analogue was straightforward to synthesize in solid phase using an Fmoc-N-OEG2 building block. The syntheses of the N-OEG11 and N-OEG23 cyclopeptides are hampered by the increased steric hindrance of the N-substituent, and could only be achieved by segment coupling, which takes place with epimerization and thus requires extensive product purification. All the N-OEG analogues were found to be more hydrophobic than the parent peptide, and their hydrophobicity was systematically enhanced upon increasing the length of the OEG chain. The N-OEG2 cyclopeptide displayed the same capacity as Cilengitide to inhibit the integrin-mediated adhesion of HUVEC endothelial, DAOY gliobastoma, and HT-29 colon cancer cells to their ligands vitronectin and fibrinogen. The N-OEG11 and N-OEG23 analogues also inhibited cell adhesion to these immobilized ligands, but their IC50 values dropped by 1 order of magnitude with respect to the parent peptide. These results indicate that replacement of the backbone N-Me group of Cilengitide by a short N-OEG chain provides a more lipophilic analogue with a similar biological activity. Upon increasing the size of the N-OEG chain, liophilicity is enhanced, but synthetic yields drop and the longer polymer chains may impede targeted binding.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Adhesion / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Ethylene Glycols / chemical synthesis
  • Ethylene Glycols / chemistry*
  • Ethylene Glycols / pharmacology
  • Fibrinogen / metabolism
  • HT29 Cells
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / drug effects
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Integrins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Integrins / metabolism
  • Ligands
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Snake Venoms / chemical synthesis
  • Snake Venoms / chemistry*
  • Snake Venoms / pharmacology
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Vitronectin / metabolism

Substances

  • Ethylene Glycols
  • Integrins
  • Ligands
  • Snake Venoms
  • Vitronectin
  • Cilengitide
  • Fibrinogen