Synthesis and Antinociceptive Activity of (D-Ala2)Leu-Enkephalin Derivatives Conjugated with the Adamantane Moiety.
Year: 1997
Type: article
Abstract: Based on the physicochemical and pharmacological properties of drugs having an adamantane skeleton, an adamantane-based moiety was evaluated as a drug carrier for poorly absorbed compounds, including peptides, active towards the central nervous system (CNS). Seven [D-Ala2]Leu-enkephalin derivatives conjugated with an adamantane-based moiety at the C-terminus or N-terminus were prepared by the solution-phase method and their biological activities were examined. The compounds derivatized at the C-terminus through an ester or amide linkage were much more lipophilic than the parent peptide and exhibited moderate in vitro opioid activity (guinea-pig ileum assay). Among them, four derivatives (1, 2, 4, 5), exhibited significant antinociceptive effects in an in vivo assay (mouse tail-pressure test) after subcutaneous administration. This result suggests that the introduction of the lipophilic adamantane moiety into [D-Ala2]Leu-enkephalin would improve the permeation of the poorly absorbed parent peptide through the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) without loss of antinociceptive effect.
DOI: 10.1248/cpb.45.1782
Authors: Kouki KITAGAWA, Noriko MIZOBUCHI, Teruo HAMA, Tohru HIBI, Ryoji KONISHI, Shiroh FUTAKI
Institution: Japan Tobacco (United States)
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2000967724