Aqueous microwave-assisted solid-phase peptide synthesis using Fmoc strategy. III: racemization studies and water-based synthesis of histidine-containing peptides

Amino Acids. 2014 Oct;46(10):2347-54. doi: 10.1007/s00726-014-1779-y. Epub 2014 Jun 26.

Abstract

In this study, we describe the first aqueous microwave-assisted synthesis of histidine-containing peptides in high purity and with low racemization. We have previously shown the effectiveness of our synthesis methodology for peptides including difficult sequences using water-dispersible 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-amino acid nanoparticles. It is an organic solvent-free, environmentally friendly method for chemical peptide synthesis. Here, we studied the racemization of histidine during an aqueous-based coupling reaction with microwave irradiation. Under our microwave-assisted protocol using 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride, the coupling reaction can be efficiently performed with low levels of racemization of histidine. Application of this water-based microwave-assisted protocol with water-dispersible 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-amino acid nanoparticles led to the successful synthesis of the histidine-containing hexapeptide neuropeptide W-30 (10-15), Tyr-His-Thr-Val-Gly-Arg-NH₂, in high yield and with greatly reduced histidine racemization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / chemistry*
  • Animals
  • Fluorenes / chemistry*
  • Green Chemistry Technology*
  • Histidine / chemistry*
  • Indicators and Reagents / chemistry
  • Microwaves
  • Morpholines / chemistry
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Neuropeptides / chemical synthesis*
  • Neuropeptides / chemistry
  • Oligopeptides / chemical synthesis*
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry
  • Peptide Fragments / chemical synthesis*
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry
  • Rats
  • Solid-Phase Synthesis Techniques*
  • Solubility
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride
  • Amino Acids
  • Fluorenes
  • Indicators and Reagents
  • Morpholines
  • N(alpha)-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonylamino acids
  • NPW protein, human
  • Neuropeptides
  • Oligopeptides
  • Peptide Fragments
  • tyrosyl-histidyl-threonyl-valyl-glycyl-argininamide
  • Histidine