A new class of pentapeptide KISS1 receptor agonists with hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activation.

The kisspeptin (Kp, Kp-54, metastin)/KISS1R system plays crucial roles in regulating the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Continuous administration of nonapeptide Kp analogs caused plasma testosterone depletion, whereas bolus administration caused strong plasma testosterone elevation in male rats. To develop a new class of small peptide drugs, we focused on stepwise N-terminal truncation of Kp analogs and discovered potent pentapeptide analogs. Benzoyl-Phe-azaGly-Leu-Arg(Me)-Trp-NH2 (16) exhibited high agonist activity for KISS1R and excellent metabolic stability in rat serum. A single injection of a 4-pyridyl analog (19) at the N-terminus of 16 into male Sprague Dawley rats caused a robust increase in plasma luteinizing hormone levels, but unlike continuous administration of nonapeptide Kp analogs, continuous administration of 19 maintained moderate testosterone levels in rats. These results indicated that small peptide drugs can be successfully developed for treating sex hormone deficiency.

Physicochemically and pharmacokinetically stable nonapeptide KISS1 receptor agonists with highly potent testosterone-suppressive activity.

Modifications of metastin(45-54) produced peptide analogues with higher metabolic stability than metastin(45-54). N-terminally truncated nonapeptide 4 ([D-Tyr46,D-Pya(4)47,azaGly51,Arg(Me)53]metastin(46-54)) is a representative compound with both potent agonistic activity and metabolic stability. Although 4 had more potent testosterone-suppressant activity than metastin, it possessed physicochemical instability at pH 7 and insufficient in vivo activity. Instability at pH 7 was dependent upon Asn48 and Ser49; substitution of Ser49 with Thr49 reduced this instability and maintained KISS1 receptor agonistic activity. Furthermore, [D-Tyr46,D-Trp47,Thr49,azaGly51,Arg(Me)53,Trp54]metastin(46-54) (14) showed 2-fold greater [Ca2+]i-mobilizing activity than metastin(45-54) and an apparent increase in physicochemical stability. N-terminal acetylation of 14 resulted in the most potent analogue, 22 (Ac-[D-Tyr46,D-Trp47,Thr49,azaGly51,Arg(Me)53,Trp54]metastin(46-54)). With continuous administration, 22 possessed 10-50-fold more potent testosterone-suppressive activity in rats than 4. These results suggested that a controlled release of short-length KISS1 receptor agonists can suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and reduce testosterone levels. Compound 22 was selected for further preclinical evaluation for hormone-dependent diseases.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel investigational nonapeptide KISS1R agonists with testosterone-suppressive activity.

Metastin/kisspeptin is a 54 amino acid peptide ligand of the KISS1R receptor and is a critical regulator of GnRH secretion. The N-terminally truncated peptide, metastin(45-54), possesses a 10-fold higher receptor-binding affinity than full-length metastin and agonistic KISS1R activity but is rapidly inactivated in rodent plasma. We have developed a decapeptide analog [D-Tyr(45),D-Trp(47),azaGly(51),Arg(Me)(53)]metastin(45-54) with improved serum stability compared with metastin(45-54) but with decreased KISS1R agonistic activity. Amino acid replacements at positions 45-47 led to an enhancement of KISS1R agonistic activity and metabolic stability. N-terminal truncation resulted in a stable nonapeptide, [D-Tyr(46),D-Pya(4)(47),azaGly(51),Arg(Me)(53)]metastin(46-54), compound 26, which displayed KISS1R binding affinities comparable to metastin(45-54) and had improved serum stability. Compound 26 reduced plasma testosterone in male rats and is the first short-length metastin analog to possess testosterone suppressive activities. Compound 26 has led to the elucidation of investigational analogs TAK-683 and TAK-448, both of which have undergone clinical evaluation for hormone-dependent diseases such as prostate cancer.

Serum stability of selected decapeptide agonists of KISS1R using pseudopeptides.

Metastin/kisspeptin, a 54-amino acid peptide, is the ligand of the G-protein-coupled receptor KISS1R which plays a key role in pathways that regulate reproduction and cell migration in many endocrine and gonadal tissues. The N-terminally truncated decapeptide, metastin(45-54), has 3-10 times higher receptor affinity and intracellular calcium ion-mobilizing activity but is rapidly inactivated in serum. In this study we designed and synthesized stable KISS1R agonistic decapeptide analogs with selected substitutions at positions 47, 50, and 51. Replacement of glycine with azaglycine (azaGly) in which the α-carbon is replaced with a nitrogen atom at position 51 improved the stability of amide bonds between Phe(50)-Gly(51) and Gly(51)-Leu(52) as determined by in vitro mouse serum stability studies. Substitution for tryptophan at position 47 with other amino acids such as serine, threonine, ß-(3-pyridyl)alanine, and D-tryptophan (D-Trp), produced analogs that were highly stable in mouse serum. D-Trp(47) analog 13 showed not only high metabolic stability but also excellent KISS1R agonistic activity. Other labile peptides may have increased serum stability using amino acid substitution.

Trypsin resistance of a decapeptide KISS1R agonist containing an Nω-methylarginine substitution.

Metastin/kisspeptin is an amidated peptide with 54 amino acid residues isolated from human placental tissues as a ligand of the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor KISS1R that is expressed throughout the central nervous system and in a variety of endocrine and gonadal tissues. Compared to the full-length metastin protein, the N-terminal truncated peptide metastin(45-54) has 3-10 times higher receptor affinity and enhanced ability to increase intracellular calcium concentration which is essential for activation of protein kinases involved in intracellular signaling in a number of pathways that affect reproduction and cell migration. However, metastin(45-54) is rapidly inactivated in serum. In this study, we designed and synthesized a number of metastin(45-54) analogs and evaluated their agonistic activity and trypsin resistance. Among analogs with substitutions of arginine at position 53, N(ω)(-)methylarginine analog 8 showed 3-fold more potent agonistic activity compared with metastin(45-54). Furthermore, analog 8 was shown to resist trypsin cleavage between positions 53 and 54. This substitution may be useful in the development of other Arg-containing peptides for which the avoidance of cleavage is desired.