Disulfide Formation Strategies in Peptide Synthesis

A set of conformationally well-defined L/D-peptide epitopes provides a serological bar code for autoantibody subtypes

Which conformational parameters lead to an antibody-affine peptide antigen? And in how many different conformations can we actually present the respective conformational epitope? To provide answers from a chemical point of view, we direct the bending and tethering of peptide backbones by the utilisation of a hydrophobic cluster, disulfides, and d-amino acids. Each mutation is employed pairwise on directly opposite sides of a β-hairpin. In combination, these synthetic modules guide the formation of complementary β-sheet-like structures, whereby the oppositely configured (l/d-)bi-disulfide pairs form with high regioselectivity. The conformational properties of the peptides are assessed by NMR spectroscopy and correlated with their antibody affinity in ELISA. From a pool of thus designed peptide antigens with distinctive complementary affinities against known rheumatoid arthritis (RA) autoantibodies, we select a set of epitopes for an immunoassay with sera of RA patients. We want to put emphasis on the idea, that the different conformational properties of the chosen antigens, containing the same epitope sequence, are mirrored in the distribution of autoantibody subtypes (or of the antibody polyclonality, respectively). Such directly comparable information can only be delivered by a set of peptides, rather than a single one. The hairpin-restriction technology of l/d-configured bi-disulfide amino acid pairs is not limited to RA but applicable to other shape-persistent hairpin motifs which are supposed to identify subgroups of protein receptors.

Characterization of low-abundance species in the active pharmaceutical ingredient of CIGB-300: A clinical-grade anticancer synthetic peptide

CIGB-300 is a first-in-class synthetic peptide-based drug of 25 amino acids currently undergoing clinical trials in cancer patients. It contains an amidated disulfide cyclic undecapeptide fused to the TAT cell-penetrating peptide through a beta-alanine spacer. CIGB-300 inhibits the CK2-mediated phosphorylation leading to apoptosis of tumor cells in vitro, and in vivo in cancer patients. Despite the clinical development of CIGB-300, the characterization of peptide-related impurities present in the active pharmaceutical ingredient has not been reported earlier. In the decision tree of ICHQ3A(R2) guidelines, the daily doses intake, the abundance, and the identity of the peptide-related species are pivotal nodes that define actions to be taken (reporting, identification, and qualification). For this, purity was first assessed by reverse-phase chromatography (>97%) and low-abundance impurities (≤0.27%) were collected and identified by mass spectrometry. Most of the impurities were generated during peptide synthesis, the spontaneous air oxidation of the reduced peptide, and the lyophilization step. The most abundant impurity, with no biological activity, was the full-length peptide containing Met¹⁷ transformed into a sulfoxide residue. Interestingly, parallel and antiparallel dimers of CIGB-300 linked by 2 intermolecular disulfide bonds exhibited a higher antiproliferative activity than the CIGB-300 monomer. Likewise, very low abundance trimers and tetramers of CIGB-300 linked by disulfide bonds (≤0.01%) were also detected. Here we describe for the first time the presence of active dimeric species whose feasibility as novel CIGB-300 derived entities merits further investigation.

Peptide chemistry toolbox - Transforming natural peptides into peptide therapeutics

The development of solid phase peptide synthesis has released tremendous opportunities for using synthetic peptides in medicinal applications. In the last decades, peptide therapeutics became an emerging market in pharmaceutical industry. The need for synthetic strategies in order to improve peptidic properties, such as longer half-life, higher bioavailability, increased potency and efficiency is accordingly rising. In this mini-review, we present a toolbox of modifications in peptide chemistry for overcoming the main drawbacks during the transition from natural peptides to peptide therapeutics. Modifications at the level of the peptide backbone, amino acid side chains and higher orders of structures are described. Furthermore, we are discussing the future of peptide therapeutics development and their impact on the pharmaceutical market.

A straightforward and convenient synthesis of functionalized allyl thiosulfonates and allyl disulfanes

A practical, highly flexible and eco-friendly method has been developed for the synthesis of allyl thiosulfonates using Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) allyl bromides and sodium arylthiosulfonates, which were readily assembled without any reagent/catalyst. Moreover, the allyl thiosulfonates were successfully transformed into a set of two synthetically viable diallyl disulfanes and unsymmetrical allyl disulfanes in the presence of Cs₂CO₃. The present protocols are operationally simple and convenient to generate a wide range of functionalized allyl thiosulfonates and allyl disulfanes in good to excellent yields.

A practical, highly efficient and eco-friendly method for synthesis of multifunctional allyl thiosulfonates and allyl disulfanes is reported under mild reaction conditions.

Sulfur-Switch Ugi Reaction for Macrocyclic Disulfide-Bridged Peptidomimetics

A general strategy is introduced for the efficient synthetic access of disulfide linked artificial macrocycles via a Ugi four-component reaction (U4CR) followed by oxidative cyclization. The double-mercapto input is proposed for use in the Ugi reaction, thereby yielding all six topologically possible combinations. The protocol is convergent and short and enables the production of novel disulfide peptidomimetics in a highly general fashion.

Direct palladium-mediated on-resin disulfide formation from Allocam protected peptides

The synthesis of disulfide-containing polypeptides represents a long-standing challenge in peptide chemistry, and broadly applicable methods for the construction of disulfides are in constant demand. Few strategies exist for on-resin formation of disulfides directly from their protected counterparts. We present herein a novel strategy for the on-resin construction of disulfides directly from Allocam-protected cysteines. Our palladium-mediated approach is mild and uses readily available reagents, requiring no special equipment. No reduced peptide intermediates or S-allylated products are observed, and no residual palladium can be detected in the final products. The utility of this method is demonstrated through the synthesis of the C-carboxy analog of oxytocin.

Understanding Tetrahydropyranyl as a Protecting Group in Peptide Chemistry

Tetrahydropyranyl (Thp) is recognized as a useful protecting group for alcohols in organic synthesis. It has several advantages, including low cost, ease of introduction, general stability to most non-acidic reagents, it confers good solubility, and the ease with which it can be removed if the functional group it protects requires manipulation. However, little attention has been paid to Thp in peptide chemistry. Provided here is a concise analysis of the Thp protection of various amino acid functionalities (OH, SH, NH and COOH) and its application to peptide synthesis. Thp is a useful moiety for the side-chain protection of serine, threonine and cysteine and is suitable for the Fmoc/tBu solid-phase peptide synthesis strategy. The immobilized version of 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran, the so-called Ellman resin, is also discussed as a useful solid support for anchoring the side chains of serine, threonine and tryptophan residues.

Synthesis of Reusable Silica Nanosphere-Supported Pt(IV) Complex for Formation of Disulfide Bonds in Peptides

Some peptide-based drugs, including oxytocin, vasopressin, ziconotide, pramlintide, nesiritide, and octreotide, contain one intramolecular disulfide bond. A novel and reusable monodispersed silica nanosphere-supported Pt(IV) complex (SiO₂@TPEA@Pt(IV)); TPEA: N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine) was synthesized via a four-step procedure and was used for the formation of intramolecular disulfide bonds in peptides. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and chemical mapping results for the Pt(II) intermediates and for SiO₂@TPEA@Pt(IV) show that the silica nanospheres possess a monodisperse spherical structure and contain uniformly-distributed Si, O, C, N, Cl, and Pt. The valence state of Pt on the silica nanospheres was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Pt(IV) loaded on SiO₂@TPEA@Pt(IV) was 0.15 mmol/g, as determined by UV-VIS spectrometry. The formation of intramolecular disulfides in six dithiol-containing peptides of variable lengths by the use of SiO₂@TPEA@Pt(IV) was investigated, and the relative oxidation yields were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, peptide 1 (Ac-CPFC-NH₂) was utilized to study the reusability of SiO₂@TPEA@Pt(IV). No significant decrease in the relative oxidation yield was observed after ten reaction cycles. Moreover, the structure of SiO₂@TPEA@Pt(IV) after being used for ten cycles was determined to be similar to its initial one, demonstrating the cycling stability of the complex.

Batch and Flow Synthesis of Disulfides by Visible-Light-Induced TiO2 Photocatalysis

A mild and practical method for the preparation of disulfides through visible-light-induced photocatalytic aerobic oxidation of thiols has been developed. The method involves the use of TiO2 as a heterogeneous photocatalyst. The catalyst's high stability and recyclability makes this method highly practical. The reaction can be substantially accelerated in a continuous-flow packed-bed reactor, which enables a safe and reliable scale-up of the reaction conditions. The batch and flow protocol described herein can be applied to a diverse set of thiol substrates for the preparation of homo- and hetero-dimerized disulfides. Furthermore, biocompatible reaction conditions (i.e., room temperature, visible light, neutral buffer solution, and no additional base) have been developed, which permits the rapid and chemoselective modification of densely functionalized peptide substrates without recourse to complex purification steps.

Air oxidation method employed for the disulfide bond formation of natural and synthetic peptides

Among the available protocols, chemically driven approaches to oxidize cysteine may not be required for molecules that, under the native-like conditions, naturally fold in conformations ensuring an effective pairing of the right disulfide bridge pattern. In this contest, we successfully prepared the distinctin, a natural heterodimeric peptide, and some synthetic cyclic peptides that are inhibitors of the CXCR4 receptor. In the first case, the air oxidation reaction allowed to connect two peptide chains via disulfide bridge, while in the second case allowed the cyclization of rationally designed peptides by an intramolecular disulfide bridge. Computational approaches helped to either drive de-novo design or suggest structural modifications and optimal oxidization protocols for disulfide-containing molecules. They are able to both predict and to rationalize the propensity of molecules to spontaneously fold in suitable conformations to achieve the right disulfide bridges.

Tetrahydropyranyl, a nonaromatic acid-labile Cys protecting group for Fmoc peptide chemistry

Tetrahydropyranyl (Thp), which exploits the concept of being an S,O-acetal nonaromatic protecting group for cysteine, has been shown to be superior to Trt, Dpm, Acm, and StBu in solid-phase peptide synthesis using the Fmoc/tBu strategy. Thus, Cys racemization and C-terminal 3-(1-piperidinyl)alanine formation were minimized when the Cys was protected with Thp. This nonaromatic protecting group also improved the solubility of Cys-containing protected peptides.

The direct synthesis of symmetrical disulfides and diselenides by metal–organic framework MOF-199 as an efficient heterogenous catalyst

The MOF-199 was used as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of organic disulfides/diselenides from aryl halides and elemental S/Se in polyethylene glycol (PEG) with good to excellent yields.