Peptides, low molecular weight

Targeting of Small Molecules (Short Peptides, Low Molecular Weight Drugs)... 

Choi, Y.-S., et al.. The systemic delivery of siRNAs by a cell penetrating peptide, low molecular weight protamine. Biomaterials, 31 (6) 1429-1443, 2010. 

Zhang and co-workers worked on the structure-based, computer-assisted search for low molecular weight, non-peptidic protein tyrosine phosphate IB (PTPIB) inhibitors, also using the DOCK methodology [89], They identified several potent and selective PTPIB inhibitors by saeening the ACD. 

For mixture.s the picture is different. Unless the mixture is to be examined by MS/MS methods, usually it will be necessary to separate it into its individual components. This separation is most often done by gas or liquid chromatography. In the latter, small quantities of emerging mixture components dissolved in elution solvent would be laborious to deal with if each component had to be first isolated by evaporation of solvent before its introduction into the mass spectrometer. In such circumstances, the direct introduction, removal of solvent, and ionization provided by electrospray is a boon and puts LC/MS on a level with GC/MS for mixture analysis. Further, GC is normally concerned with volatile, relatively low-molecular-weight compounds and is of little or no use for the many polar, water soluble, high-molecular-mass substances such as the peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, nucleotides, and similar substances found in biological systems. LC/MS with an electrospray interface is frequently used in biochemical research and medical analysis. 

The posterior lobe of the pituitary, ie, the neurohypophysis, is under direct nervous control (1), unlike most other endocrine organs. The hormones stored in this gland are formed in hypothalamic nerve cells but pass through nerve stalks into the posterior pituitary. As early as 1895 it was found that pituitrin [50-57-7] an extract of the posterior lobe, raises blood pressure when injected (2), and that Pitocin [50-56-6] (Parke-Davis) causes contractions of smooth muscle, especially in the utems (3). Isolation of the active materials involved in these extracts is the result of work from several laboratories. Several highly active posterior pituitary extracts have been discovered (4), and it has been deterrnined that their biological activities result from peptide hormones, ie, low molecular weight substances not covalendy linked to proteins (qv) (5). 

FIGURE 8.12 Effect of pore diameter on SEC of standards (nondenaturin > mobile phase). Nondenaturing" refers to the effect on the stationary phase. Most iarge proteins were in fact denatured by this mobile phase (which was optimized for use with peptides, not proteins). Accordingly, it was necessary to use polyacrylamide to demonstrate the approximate range and position of Vo under these conditions. The polyacryiamide standards both eiuted at V with the 300-A coiumn (not shown). Columns and flow rate Same as in Fig. 8.11. Mobile phase Same as in Fig. 8.1. Sample key (B) Ovalbumin (43,000 Da) 0) polyacrylamide (1,000,000 Da) (K) polyacrylamide (400,000 IDa) (L) low molecular weight impurity in the polyacrylamide standards. Other samples as in Fig. 8.11. 

In light of the importance of the / -turn motif in peptide and protein recognition, and the design and synthesis of bioactive small molecules, / -turn mimetics has attracted considerable attention. Seebach and coworkers have shown recently that low molecular weight open-chain / - and y-peptides designed to promote turn formation can be used as templates for mimicking the a-peptide hormone somatostatin. 

Hymenoptera venoms are composed of biogenic amines and other low molecular weight substances, of basic peptides and of proteins. Injection of venom by Hymenoptera stings has toxic effects, due to biogenic amines, peptides and proteins biogenic amines such as histamine cause pain, are vasodilatory and increase... 

Other than a nutritional role linked to mineralization processes, humic compounds have been hypothesized to directly affect plant nutrition, since it has been suggested that roots may take up low-molecular-weight humic molecules (21). Interestingly, plants have been ob.served to express carriers for amino acids (22) and small peptides (23) at the root level. Certain components of the humic fraction have been found inside root cells and were, moreover, translocated to the shoots (24,25). Recent experiments performed on rice cells in suspension culture seem to suggest that they may use carbon skeletons from humic molecules to synthesize proteins and DNA (26). 

The essential distinction between the approaches used to formulate and evaluate proteins, compared with conventional low molecular weight drugs, lies in the need to maintain several levels of protein structure and the unique chemical and physical properties that these higher-order structures convey. Proteins are condensation polymers of amino acids, joined by peptide bonds. The levels of protein architecture are typically described in terms of the four orders of structure [23,24] depicted in Fig. 2. The primary structure refers to the sequence of amino acids and the location of any disulfide bonds. Secondary structure is derived from the steric relations of amino acid residues that are close to one another. The alpha-helix and beta-pleated sheet are examples of periodic secondary structure. Tertiary... 

Penetration enhancers are low molecular weight compounds that can increase the absorption of poorly absorbed hydrophilic drugs such as peptides and proteins from the nasal, buccal, oral, rectal, and vaginal routes of administration [186], Chelators, bile salts, surfactants, and fatty acids are some examples of penetration enhancers that have been widely tested [186], The precise mechanisms by which these enhancers increase drug penetration are largely unknown. Bile salts, for instance, have been shown to increase the transport of lipophilic cholesterol [187] as well as the pore size of the epithelium [188], indicating enhancement in both transcellular and paracellular transport. Bile salts are known to break down mucus [189], form micelles [190], extract membrane proteins [191], and chelate ions [192], While breakdown of mucus, formation of micelles, and lipid extraction may have contributed predominantly to the bile salt-induced enhancement of transcellular transport, chelation of ions possibly accounts for their effect on the paracellular pathway. In addition to their lack of specificity in enhancing mem-... 

This result is important to fully understanding the biochemical and ultra-structural origin of peaks and the physiological basis for variation. It not only helps in designing the analytical strategy (e.g., in selection of cleanup columns) but, more important, in making a decision on whether the marker should be used for strain or species identification or for biodetection. For example, there are a number of low-molecular weight peptides (1500-8000 kDa) present in... 

Silica-based restricted access materials (RAM) have been developed for cleanup in bioanalysis, first for low molecular weight compounds in biofluids (Rbeida et al., 2005) and subsequently for biopolymers such as peptides (Wagner et al., 2002). A classification of different types of RAM has been given by Boos and Rudolphi (1997). Novel RAMs with strong cation-exchange functionality have been synthesized and implemented in the sample cleanup of biofluids. Racaityte et al. (2000) have shown that this type of RAM is highly suitable for the online extraction and analysis of... 

The N-terminal sequence of one peptide from the 35 kDa zone of H-gal-GP showed some homology to cathepsin B-like cysteine proteases. Molecular cloning has also identified a thrombospondin homologue associated with the diffusely staining region between zones A and B, a galectin associated with zone D (Newlands et al., 1999) and a low molecular weight (approximately 13 kDa) cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin. 

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