Hybridization of an Aβ-specific antibody fragment with aminopyrazole-based β-sheet ligands displays striking enhancement of target affinity

Unnatural Amino Acid: 4-Aminopyrazolonyl Amino Acid Comprising Tri-Peptides Forms Organogel With Co-Solvent (EtOAc:Hexane)

Ampyrone is an amino-functionalized heterocyclic pyrazolone derivative that possesses therapeutic values such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretics. The chemical structure of ampyrone exhibits excellent hydrogen bonding sites and is considered as the potential scaffold of supramolecular self-assembly. Recently, this molecule has been derived into unnatural amino acids such as aminopyrazolone amino acid and its peptides. This report describes that one of its amino acids, O-alkylated ampyrone, containing hybrid (α/β) peptides forms organogel after sonication at 50–55°C with 0.7–0.9% (w/v) in ethyl acetate: hexane (1:3). The formation/morphology of such organogels is studied by nuclear magnetic resonance Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), circular dichroism (CD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (Powder-XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Energy-minimized conformation of APA-peptides reveals the possibility of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Hence, APA-peptides are promising peptidomimetics for the organogel-peptides.

Reactivities of cyclam derivatives with metal–amyloid-β

New examples of azamacrocyclic metal chelators that modulate the interactions between metal ions and Aβ and the reactivities of metal–Aβ were developed under criteria based on structural and functional variations on the backbone of Cyclam.

Aβ Oligomer Elimination Restores Cognition in Transgenic Alzheimer's Mice with Full-blown Pathology

Oligomers of the amyloid-β (Aβ) protein are suspected to be responsible for the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, the development of compounds that are able to eliminate already formed toxic Aβ oligomers is very desirable. Here, we describe the in vivo efficacy of the compound RD2, which was developed to directly and specifically eliminate toxic Aβ oligomers. In a truly therapeutic, rather than a preventive study, oral treatment with RD2 was able to reverse cognitive deficits and significantly reduce Aβ pathology in old-aged transgenic Alzheimer’s Disease mice with full-blown pathology and behavioral deficits. For the first time, we demonstrate the in vivo target engagement of RD2 by showing a significant reduction of Aβ oligomers in the brains of RD2-treated mice compared to placebo-treated mice. The correlation of Aβ elimination in vivo and the reversal of cognitive deficits in old-aged transgenic mice support the hypothesis that Aβ oligomers are relevant not only for disease development and progression, but also offer a promising target for the causal treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.