Amino acids, fluorinated activity

The biological activity of a compound can often be affected dramatically by the presence of even a single fluorine substituent that is placed in a particular position within the molecule. There are diverse reasons for this, which have been discussed briefly in the preface and introduction of this book. A few illustrative examples of bioactive compounds containing a single fluorine substituent are given in Fig. 3.1. These include what is probably the first example of enhanced bioactivity due to fluorine substitution, that of the corticosteroid 3-1 below wherein Fried discovered, in 1954, that the enhanced acidity of the fluorohydrin enhanced the activity of the compound.1 Also pictured are the antibacterial (3-fluoro amino acid, FA (3-2), which acts as a suicide substrate enzyme inactivator, and the well-known anti-anthrax drug, CIPRO (3-3). 

Wadhwani P, Strandherg E (2009) Structure analysis of membrane-active peptides using 19F-labeled amino acids and solid-state NMR. In Ojima I (ed) Fluorine in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. Wiley, Chichester, pp 463-493... 

Wadhwani P, Tremouilhac P, Strandberg E, Afonin S, Grage S, Ieronimo M, Berditsch M, Ulrich AS (2007) Using fluorinated amino acids for structure analysis of membrane-active peptides by solid-state 19F-NMR. In Soloshonok V, Mikami K, Yamazaki T, Welch JT, Honek J (eds) Current fluoroorganic chemistry (ACS symposium series). American Chemical Society, Washington, pp 431 146... 

Reaction of the thia-amino acid 392 with trifluoroacetic anhydride gave the 2,2,2-trifluoro-l-[7-(trifluoromethyl)-l//-pyrrolo[l,2-c]-[l,3]thiazol-6-yl] ethanone pyrrole 395. The formation of the pyrrole can be rationalized by a sequence involving trifluoroacetylation of the enamine 392 affording dione 393 followed by loss of water and carbon dioxide to give the aromatic product 395. These decarboxylations afford fluorinated derivatives of heterocyclic skeletons known to exhibit interesting biological activity (Scheme 58) <2000T7267>. 

These transformations are efficient under biological conditions only if another activating group is present (carbonyl, aryl, etc.) [77]. Such an activating group is important to render the elimination product (resulting from the loss of a fluoride ion) a better Michael acceptor. Moreover, if one or several fluorine atoms are present on the double bond, the latter is also more reactive (Fig. 22). Thus, the elimination, promoted by the enzyme, of a fluoride ion from a jS-fluoro amino acid leads to a very reactive Michael acceptor. The latter can undergo an irreversible addition of a nucleophile residue of the active site of the enzyme, which is thus inhibited (Fig. 23) [78,79]. 

The a-helical coiled coil-based screening system already provided a wide variety of information about the interactions of fluorinated amino acids within hydrophobic and hydrophilic protein environments. Investigations on the thermal stability as well as the replicase activity have both emphasized the orthogonal properties of fluorinated aliphatic amino acid side chains. The term orthogonal in this context has been chosen by us to demonstrate that they are in fact hydrophobic... 

The effects of the presence of a fluorinated amino acid on the activity of these peptides are changeable the activity can be maintained, enhanced, or lowered the effect can be that of an agonist or antagonist. However, often the biological effect is enhanced, while the affinity is lowered. The loss of affinity is compensated by an increased biodisponibility due to the better hydrolytic and metabolic stability of the polypeptide that contains the fluorinated amino acid. 

The S-ribonuclease is the complex formed between an eicosapeptide and the S-RNAse. While replacement of various amino acids by fluorinated analogues does not modify the activity of the native complex, replacement of His-12 by 4-F-His has a strong influence. Indeed, the S-ribonuclease, formed between the bovine pancreatic S-RNAse and the fluoro peptide that contains 4-F-His, has no more catalytic activity, but it is stable. This loss of enzymatic activity is probably due to the significant lowering of the pAia of the catalytic His (2.5 units), which results from the presence of the fluorine atom. It is known that histidine plays an important role in nucleophilic and acid-base processes, which are connected to the catalytic activity of numerous enzymes. 

While the amino acid, which has been replaced by its fluorinated analogue, is essential for the functionality of the protein, some biological consequences can occur. Thus, incorporation of 2-F-His into mammalian proteins (4-F-His cannot be incorporated), in cell culture or invivo, is accompanied by inhibition of the induction of several enzymes (e.g., inhibition of acetyltransferase activity of the pineal gland). This probably stems from the formation of defective or inactive enzymes. Indeed, histidine plays an important role in the nucleophilic and acid-base processes connected to the catalytic activity of numerous enzymes. 

Among the numerous enzymes that utilize pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) as cofactor, the amino acid racemases, amino acid decarboxylases (e.g., aromatic amino acids, ornithine, glutamic acid), aminotransferases (y-aminobutyrate transaminase), and a-oxamine synthases, have been the main targets in the search for fluorinated mechanism-based inhibitors. Pharmaceutical companies have played a very active role in this promising research (control of the metabolism of amino acids and neuroamines is very important at the physiological level). 

The first step of the enzymatic process is the transaldimination of the Schiff base lysine-PLP by the amino acid. The pulling out of the proton in a of the fluorinated amino acid is accompanied by elimination of a fluorine atom of the CX2F group, thus affording a very reactive quinonic species. This latter one can further react with a nucleophilic entity of the enzyme (e.g., the lysine of the active site) ( Michael addition inactivation process ) (Figure 7.47). ... 

General Features of Biological Activity of Fluorinated Amino Acids Design, Pharmacology and Biochemistry ... 

Katagiri, T. Uneyama, K. Stereospecific substitution at a-carbon to trifluoromethyl group application to optically active fluorinated amino acid synthesis. Chirality 2003, 35, 4-9. 

---