A three-residue cyclic scaffold of non-RGD containing peptide analogues as platelet aggregation inhibitors: design, synthesis, and structure--function relationships

Progress in the research of GPIIb/IIIa antagonists

This review covers the recent advances in the development of small RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp sequence) containing peptides and their mimetics as potential antithrombotic agents. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) antagonists include monoclonal antibodies, RGD peptides, peptide hybrids and nonpeptide mimetics. The current trend in the development of nonpeptide mimetics is clearly directed toward orally active and safe antithrombotic drug candidates. But several nonpeptide mimetics, being evaluated for their oral activity in human clinical trials, are currently not approved for clinical use due to poor safety profile. It is expected that newer and more effective nonpeptide mimetics will be developed in the near future.

A highly constrained cyclic (S,S)-CDC- peptide is a potent inhibitor of carotid artery thrombosis in rabbits

Inhibition of platelet aggregation is indispensable for the treatment of acute arterial thrombotic episodes. We have previously reported the synthesis of a highly constrained cyclic peptide, that incorporates the -CDC- sequence, (S,S) PSRCDCR-NH(2), which potently inhibits aggregation and fibrinogen binding to human platelets in vitro. We have tested the safety and efficacy of the peptide on the electrically induced carotid artery thrombosis experimental rabbit model. The peptide's effects on carotid blood flow, thrombus weight, in vitro and ex vivo platelet aggregation, and bleeding and hemostatic parameters were evaluated. The peptide was administered via the femoral vein. Carotid blood flow was continuously monitored for 90 min after electrical thrombus formation. The peptide, at 12 mg/kg, prevented total artery occlusion and significantly preserved carotid artery's patency compared with placebo and eptifibatide. Furthermore, (S,S) PSRCDCR-NH(2) administration at 12 mg/kg reduced thrombus weight, whereas it inhibited ex vivo ADP, arachidonic acid (AA) and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Moreover (S,S) PSRCDCR-NH(2) at 12 mg/kg presented significantly higher inhibitory effects on AA and collagen-induced ex vivo platelet aggregation compared to eptifibatide. The peptide at any dose did not affect the coagulation cascade, the bleeding times or the hemostatic response of the animals. Thus highly constrained cyclic peptides like (S,S) PSRCDCR-NH(2) that incorporate the -CDC- motif and fulfil certain conformational criteria represent novel compounds that potently inhibit thrombus formation, ex vivo platelet aggregation and carotid artery occlusion superiorly to other non-RGD peptides, such as YMESRADR, without causing hemorrhagic complications in a rabbit model of arterial thrombosis.

Investigation of the role of adjacent amino acids to the 313-320 sequence of the alphaIIb subunit on platelet activation and fibrinogen binding to alphaIIbbeta3

The platelet integrin receptor alphaIIbbeta3 plays a critical role in thrombosis and haemostasis by mediating interactions between platelets and several ligands, primarily fibrinogen. We have previously shown that the synthetic peptide YMESRADRKLAEVGRVYLFL corresponding to residues 313-332 of alphaIIb, is a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding to alphaIIbbeta3, interacting with fibrinogen rather than the receptor. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the biological activities of the above peptide are due to the sequence YMESRADR, which corresponds to residues 313-320. By using new synthetic peptide analogues we investigated the structural characteristics responsible for the biological activity of YMESRADR as well the possible influence of the adjacent amino acids on the peptide's biological potency. According to our results, the synthetic octapeptide YMESRADR, is a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation and P-selectin expression. Furthermore, YMESRADR inhibits fibrinogen binding but it does not significantly influence the binding of PAC-1 to ADP-activated platelets. The inhibitory potency of YMESRADR was gradually diminished by deleting the YMES sequence from the amino terminus and prolonging the carboxyl terminus of this peptide with the KLAE sequence. Extension of YMESRADR towards the amino terminus with the GAPL sequence (GAPLYMESRADR) does not modify the biological activity of YMESRADR. Furthermore, extension of GAPLYMESRADR at its carboxy terminus with the KLAE sequence (GAPLYMESRADRKLAE) significantly diminished its biological potency. Substitution of E315 with D significantly enhances antiaggregatory potency and completely abolishes the inhibitory effect on P-selectin expression. Importantly, the D315-containing peptides inhibit to a similar extent both fibrinogen and PAC-1 binding to activated alphaIIbbeta3 in contrast to the E315-containing peptide which only inhibits fibrinogen binding. In conclusion, the present study suggests that the YMESRADR sequence 313-320 of alphaIIb, is an important functional region of the insert connecting the beta2 and beta3 antiparallel beta-strands of the W5 blade of the alphaIIb subunit. Structural changes significantly modify the biological properties of this region.

Highly constrained cyclic (S,S) -CXaaC- peptides as inhibitors of fibrinogen binding to platelets

The Arg-Gly-Asp RGD motif of adhesive proteins is recognized by the activated platelet integrin alpha(IIb)beta3. Binding of fibrinogen (Fg) to activated alpha(IIb)beta3 causes platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. Highly constraint cyclic (S,S) -CXaaC- containing peptides incorporating the (S,S) -CDC- and (S,S) -CRC- motifs were tested for their ability to inhibit platelet aggregation and Fg binding. Our results suggest that the above cyclic scaffolds stabilize a favorable structure for the antiaggregatory activity (IC50-values ranged from 1.7 to 570 microm). The peptides inhibited Fg binding with IC50-values up to 30-fold lower than those determined for the inhibition of the adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. Importantly, peptides (S,S) PSRCDCR-NH2 (peptide 11) and (S,S) PRCDCK-NH2 (peptide 10) did not inhibit PAC-1 binding to the activated platelets at a concentration in which they completely inhibited Fg binding. Moreover, (S,S) PSRCDCR-NH(2) (peptide 11), one of the more active peptides, inhibited ADP-induced P-selectin exposure. By contrast, peptide (S,S) Ac-RWDCRC-NH2, incorporating the inverse (S,S) -DCRC- sequence (peptide 16), failed to inhibit P-selectin exposure whereas at the same concentration, it effectively inhibited PAC-1 and Fg binding. It is concluded that peptides containing the (S,S) -CDC- as well the (S,S) -CRC- sequences, exhibit a broad range of activities toward platelets, and could be helpful tools for elucidating the structural interaction of Fg with the integrin receptor alpha(IIb)beta3, in its activated form. Furthermore, the (S,S) -RCDC- sequence can be used as a scaffold for developing potent non-RGD-like Fg-binding inhibitors.

The mimetics of antiadhesive peptides as the inhibitors of Mycobacterium kansasii phagocytosis

The alpha-guanidino acids derived of 15 proteinaceous amino acids, omega-guanidino acids with gradually increased hydrocarbon chains, and amidinated dipeptides, were tested as the mimetics of antiadhesive peptides in Mycobacteria phagocytosis inhibition. The crystal structure of omega-guanidino acids used was determined by X-ray structural analysis. It follows from our experiments that the proper distance between guanidine and carboxyl groups of effector molecules is of decisive importance for their inhibitory activity.

Effect of synthetic peptides corresponding to residues 313-332 of the alphaIIb subunit on platelet activation and fibrinogen binding to alphaIIbbeta3

The platelet integrin receptor alphaIIbbeta3 plays a critical role in thrombosis and haemostasis by mediating interactions between platelets and several ligands but primarily fibrinogen. It has been shown previously that the YMESRADR KLAEVGRVYLFL (313-332) sequence of the alphaIIb subunit plays an important role in platelet activation, fibrinogen binding and alphaIIbbeta3-mediated outside-in signalling. Furthermore, we recently showed that the 20-residue peptide (20-mer) alphaIIb 313-332, is a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding to alphaIIbbeta3, interacting with fibrinogen rather than the receptor. In an effort to determine the sequence and the minimum length required for the biological activity of the above 20-mer, we synthesized seven octapeptides, each overlapping by six residues, covering the entire sequence and studied their effect on platelet activation as well as fibrinogen binding to activated platelets. We show for the first time that octapeptides containing the RAD sequence are capable of inhibiting platelet aggregation and secretion as well as fibrinogen binding to the activated alphaIIbbeta3, possibly interacting with the ligand rather than the receptor. This suggests that the RAD sequence, common to all the inhibitory peptides, is critical for their biological activity. However, the presence of the YMES sequence, adjacent to RAD, significantly increases the peptide's biological potency. The development of such inhibitors derived from the 313-332 region of the alphaIIb subunit may be advantageous against the RGD-like antagonists as they could inhibit platelet activation without interacting with alphaIIbbeta3, thus failing to further induce alphaIIbbeta3-mediated outside-in signalling.

The Ac-RGD-NH2 peptide as a probe of slow conformational exchange of short linear peptides in DMSO

According to general belief, the conformational information on short linear peptides in solution derived at ambient temperature from NMR spectrometry represents a population-weighted average over all members of an ensemble of rapidly interconverting conformations. Usually the search for discrete conformations is concentrated at low temperatures especially when sharp NMR resonances are detected at room temperature. Using the peptide Ac-RGD-NH(2) (Ac-Arg-Gly-Asp-NH(2), Ac: acetyl) as a model system and following a new approach, we have been able to demonstrate that short linear peptides can adopt discrete conformational states in DMSO-d(6) (DMSO: dimethylsulfoxide) which vary in a way critically dependent on the reconstitution conditions used before their dissolution in DMSO-d(6). The conformers are stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds, which persist at high temperatures and undergo a very slow exchange with their extended structures in the NMR chemical shift time scale. The reported findings provide clear evidence for the occurrence of solvent-induced conformational exchange and point to DMSO as a valuable medium for folding studies of short linear peptides.