REVIEW: ENDOTHIOPEPTIDES ALIAS PEPTIDE THIOAMIDES

Abstract

Modifications of biologically active peptides are often undertaken in order to improve the properties of these peptides for more efficient use in medicine and biochemistry.¹ An important class of compounds in this field is the so-called backbone modified peptides or pseudopeptides. These are peptides or peptide-like molecules, which contain one or more non-peptide linkages between the a-amino acids or a-amino acid-like residues. Pseudopeptides are generally written with a ψ followed by the unnatural linkage in a square bracket,¹ e.g. Gly-ψ[CSNH]-Gly. Resistance towards enzymatic degradation was an early goal with pseudopeptides, but additionally their altered conformational properties can lead to powerful effects, such as enhanced activity andor selectivity between receptors.

Key Words:

• Peptide thioamides
• O/S-exchange
• thioacylation
• biologically active peptides