Computational Design of Potent and Selective d-Peptide Agonists of the Glucagon-like Peptide-2 Receptor

J Med Chem. 2023 Aug 10;66(15):10342-10353. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00464. Epub 2023 Jul 25.

Abstract

Here, we designed three d-GLP-2 agonists that activated the glucagon-like peptide-2 receptor (GLP-2R) cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation without stimulating the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R). All the d-GLP-2 agonists increased the protein kinase B phosphorylated (p-AKT) expression levels in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in vitro. The most effective d-GLP-2 analogue boosted the AKT phosphorylation 2.28 times more effectively compared to the native l-GLP-2. The enhancement in the p-AKT levels induced by the d-GLP-2 analogues could be explained by GLP-2R's more prolonged activation, given that the d-GLP-2 analogues induce a lower β-arrestin recruitment. The higher stability to protease degradation of our d-GLP-2 agonists helps us envision their potential applications in enhancing intestinal absorption and treating inflammatory bowel illness while lowering the high dosage required by the current treatments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cyclic AMP / metabolism
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide 2
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor / agonists
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 Receptor
  • Peptides* / pharmacology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt* / metabolism

Substances

  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 Receptor
  • Peptides
  • Cyclic AMP
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide 2
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor