Search

A novel series of benzimidazoles was identified and optimized, leading to the discovery of potent and selective antagonists of the human melanocortin-4 receptor. In addition, compound 5i was shown to cross the blood-brain barrier after intravenous dosing in rats.

Poor oral bioavailability, low metabolic stability towards proteolysis and rapid excretion via both liver and kidneys displayed by innumerable peptides of potential therapeutic value has generated an intensive search for peptidomimics (1-2). A possible approach of such nonpeptidal peptidomimics is to replace the peptide by a scaffold that distributes in the space the peptidal side chains of amino acids essential for biological activity and mimics the bioactive conformation of the peptide.

A series of enantiomerically pure azasugars (2,5-dideoxy-2, 5-imino-D-mannitol, 1-deoxynojirimycin, 1-deoxymannojirimycin, and related compounds) was synthesized from D-mannitol via aminoheterocyclization of C2-symmetric bis-epoxides and subsequently followed by ring isomerization in few cases. These compounds have been evaluated as inhibitors of several glycosidases (alpha- and beta-D-glucosidases, alpha-D-mannosidase and alpha-L-fucosidase). Inhibition studies indicate notably that the polyhydroxylated azepanes are inhibitors of glycosidases, with Ki in the micromolar range.