ABSTRACT
N-Arachidonoyl (AA) derivatives of amino acids (glycine, phenylalanine, proline, valine, gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), dihydroxyphenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and alanine) and peptides (Semax, MEHFPGP, and PGP) were synthesized in order to study the biological properties of acylamino acids. The mass spectra of all the compounds at atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization display the most intense peaks of protonated molecular ions; the detection limits for these compounds are 10 fmol per sample. AA-Gly showed the highest inhibitory activity toward fatty acid amide hydrolase from rat brain (IC50 6.5 microM) among all the acylamino acids studied. AA-Phe, AA-Tyr, and AA-GABA exhibited a weak but detectable inhibitory effect (IC50 55, 60, and 50 microM, respectively). The acylated amino acids themselves, except for AA-Gly, were stable to the hydrolysis by this enzyme. All the arachidonoylamino acids inhibited cabbage phospholipase D to various degrees; AA-GABA and AA-Phe proved to be the most active (IC50 20 and 27 microM, respectively). Attempts to detect the biosynthesis of AA-Tyr in homogenates of rat liver and nerve tissue showed no formation in vitro of either this acylamino acid or AA-dopamine and AA-Phe, the products of its metabolism. The highest contents of these metabolites were detected in liver homogenate and in the brain homogenate, respectively. Acylamino acids exert no cytotoxic effect toward the glioma C6 cells. It was shown that N-acylation of Semax with arachidonic acid results in enhancement of its hydrolytic stability and increases its affinity for the sites of specific binding in rat cerebellum membranes. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2006, vol. 32, no. 3; see also http://www.maik.ru.
Subject(s)
Amino Acids/chemical synthesis , Arachidonic Acid/chemical synthesis , Peptides/chemical synthesis , Amino Acids/chemistry , Animals , Arachidonic Acid/chemistry , Brain/enzymology , Brassica/chemistry , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemical synthesis , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry , Liver/enzymology , Lyases/antagonists & inhibitors , Peptides/chemistry , Phospholipase D/antagonists & inhibitors , Plant Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , RatsABSTRACT
Semax is the first domestic nootropic drug of an unexhausted type from the group of neuropeptides. In experimental studies it showed angioprotective, antihypoxic and neurotrophic activity in the doses 100-150 micrograms/kg. A combined clinical-electrophysiologic study revealed its high efficiency in acute ischemic stroke. A clinical trial was performed of immunobiochemical mechanisms of neuroprotective properties of Semax in acute period of ischemic stroke. A retrospective comparative clinicoimmunobiochemical analysis provided objective data on the molecular level on activating influence of Semax on antiinflammatory postischemic reactions in the brain. Shifting neuromediatory balance toward a prevalence of the antiinflammatory agents (interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha) over the factors maintaining the inflammation (interleukin-8, C-reactive protein).
