| 1. |
- Bäck, Marcus, 1979-
(författare)
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Design and Synthesis of Inhibitors Targeting the Hepatitis C Virus NS3 Serine Protease and the Aspartic Protease BACE-1
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis describes the synthesis of molecules designed to inhibit the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 serine protease and the human aspartic protease BACE-1, and it also reports the structure-activity relationships between potential inhibitors and the targeted enzymes. In addition, consideration is given to the class of enzymes known as proteases, as well as the question of why such enzymes can be regarded as suitable targets for developing drugs to combat diseases in general. Some strategies used to design protease inhibitors and the desired properties of such potential drug candidates are also briefly examined.Infection with HCV gives rise to a predominantly chronic disease that causes severe liver damage and ultimately leads to cirrhosis and liver cancer, and hence it represents the main factor underlying most of the liver transplants in the developed world. The HCV NS3 serine protease is essential for replication of the virus, and it has become one of the most widely exploited targets for developing anti-HCV inhibitors. The results presented here concern the design and synthesis of linear and macrocyclic NS3 protease inhibitors containing a novel trisubstituted cyclopentane moiety as an N-acyl-(4R)-hydroxyproline bioisostere. Several highly potent compounds were evaluated, including inhibitors with Ki and replicon EC50 values in the subnanomolar and the low nanomolar range, respectively.Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of the brain. It is characterized by loss of memory and cognition, and is associated with accumulation of plaques and tangles that cause serious impairment and functional decline of brain tissues. The plaques consist mainly of amyloid-β fragments that are generated through two cleavages of amyloid precursor protein (APP). The enzyme responsible for the initial cleavage is the aspartic protease BACE-1 (beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme), which was explored in the current studies as a pharmaceutical target. The synthetic work comprised development of two series of BACE-1 inhibitors with different central core isosteres; a statine-based and a hydroxyethylene-based series. Highly potent inhibitors were produced by varying the substituents coupled to the statine-based central core. X-ray crystallography and molecular modeling enabled analysis of the binding properties of these compounds. In the second series a hydroxyethylene central core was decorated with more advanced P1 substituents with the aim of increasing the binding interactions with the S1 site. This resulted in inhibitors with more drug-like properties and activities in the low micromolar range.
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| 2. |
- Chorell, Erik, 1980-
(författare)
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Pilicides and Curlicides : Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel antibacterial agents targeting bacterial virulence
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- New strategies are needed to counter the growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. One such strategy is to design compounds that target bacterial virulence, which could work separately or in concert with conventional bacteriostatic or bactericidal antibiotics. Pilicides are a class of compounds based on a ring-fused 2-pyridone scaffold that target bacterial virulence by blocking the chaperone/usher pathway in E. coli and thereby inhibit the assembly of pili. This thesis describes the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of compounds based on the pilicide scaffold with the goal of improving the pilicides and expanding their utility. Synthetic pathways have been developed to enable the introduction of substituents at the C-2 position of the pilicide scaffold. Biological evaluation of these compounds demonstrated that some C-2 substituents give rise to significant increases in potency. X-ray crystallography was used to elucidate the structural basis of this improved biological activity. Furthermore, improved methods for the preparation of oxygen-analogues and C-7 substituted derivatives of the pilicide scaffold have been developed. These new methods were used in combination with existing strategies to decorate the pilicide scaffold as part of a multivariate design approach to improve the pilicides and generate structure activity relationships (SARs). Fluorescent pilicides were prepared using a strategy where selected substituents were replaced with fluorophores having similar physicochemical properties as the original substituents. Many of the synthesized fluorescent compounds displayed potent pilicide activities and can thus be used to study the complex interactions between pilicide and bacteria. For example, when E. coli was treated with fluorescent pilicides, it was found that the compounds were not uniformly distributed throughout the bacterial population, suggesting that the compounds are primarily associated to bacteria with specific properties. Finally, by studying compounds designed to inhibit the aggregation of Aβ, it was found that some compounds based on the pilicide scaffold inhibit the formation of the functional bacterial amyloid fibers known as curli; these compounds are referred to as 'curlicides'. Some of the curlicides also prevent the formation of pili and thus exhibit dual pilicide-curlicide activity. The potential utility of such 'dual-action' compounds was highlighted by a study of one of the more potent dual pilicide-curlicides in a murine UTI model were the compound was found to significantly attenuate virulence in vivo.
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| 3. |
- Dziedzic, Pawel, 1979-
(författare)
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Amino acid-catalyzed synthesis of amino acid derivatives : Application and semi-synthesis of Paclitaxel, Docetaxel and their derivatives
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis deals with different applications of organocatalysis, where amino acid derivatives and small peptides are applied as catalysts. First, the development of environmentally friendly aldol reactions, carried out in aqueous media is illustrated. The corresponding β-hydroxy ketones are formed with ee´s up to 99%. Chapter 3 describes the ability of β3-amino acids to selectively catalyze Mannich-type reactions and govern the formation of products with high anti-selectivity (up to >19:1) and ee´s up to 99%. In the following chapter, an amino acid-catalyzed one-pot three component Mannich reaction between dihydroxyacetone and PMP-protected imines, is presented. The corresponding a,a’-dihydroxy-b-aminoketones are obtained in high yields and with 82-95% ee. Next, an aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction was investigated where L-proline is the catalyst. The reaction proceeds with excellent chemo- and enantioselectivity to give the corresponding compounds in good yields and with 97-99% ee. Finally, the last part describes development of a proline-catalyzed Mannich reation between N-acyl imines and protected α-hydroxyaldehyes, providing access to different α-hydroxy-β-amino acids in good yields and high enantioselctivity (92-99% ee). The obtained amino acids were further applied in the semisynthesis of paclitaxel and docetaxel derivatives.
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| 4. |
- Rosenström, Ulrika, 1972-
(författare)
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Design and Synthesis of AT2 Receptor Selective Angiotensin II Analogues Encompassing β- and γ-Turn Mimetics
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Important information on the bioactive conformation of biologically active peptides may be obtained by studies of rigid peptides or well-defined secondary structure mimetics incorporated into pseudopeptides. The structural requirements for the interaction of angiotensin II (Ang II, Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe) with its AT1 and AT2 receptors were the subject of this study. The main objectives of this work were to synthesize secondary structure mimetics and incorporate these into Ang II. Ang II has been suggested to adopt a turn conformation around Tyr4 when interacting with its AT1 receptor. Therefore, two γ- and one β-turn mimetic scaffolds based on the benzodiazepine structure were synthesized and decorated with side chains. The scaffolds replaced the turn region around Tyr4. Most of the pseudopeptides obtained after incorporation into Ang II exhibited high AT2/AT1 selectivity and nanomolar affinity to the AT2 receptor. One pseudopeptide encompassing a β-turn mimetic also displayed AT1 receptor affinity. We hypothesized that the position of the guanidino group of the arginine residue and the N-terminal end, in relation to the tyrosine side chain, was critical for AT2 receptor affinity. Conformational evaluation of the pseudopeptides revealed that in all the compounds with AT2 receptor affinity the arginine side chain and the N-terminal end could reach common regions, not accessible to the inactive compound. It is proposed that Ang II has a more extended bioactive conformation when binding to the AT2 receptor than when binding to the AT1 receptor. Furthermore, in a Gly scan of Ang II only replacement of the arginine residue reduced the affinity for the AT2 receptor considerably. Some N-terminal modified Ang II analogues were also synthesized and it was concluded that truncated Ang II analogues interact with the AT2 receptor differently than Ang II. Three of the synthesized pseudopeptides were evaluated in AT2 receptor functional assays and were found to act as agonists.
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