Design of Potent and Proteolytically Stable Biaryl-Stapled GLP-1R/GIPR Peptide Dual Agonists

ACS Chem Biol. 2022 May 20;17(5):1249-1258. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00175. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Abstract

Recent clinical trials have revealed that the chimeric peptide hormones simultaneously activating glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) demonstrate superior efficacy in glycemic control and body weight reduction, better than those activating the GLP-1R alone. However, the linear peptide-based GLP-1R/GIPR dual agonists are susceptible to proteolytic cleavage by common digestive enzymes present in the gastrointestinal tract and thus not suitable for oral administration. Here, we report the design and synthesis of biaryl-stapled peptides, with and without fatty diacid attachment, that showed potent GLP-1R/GIPR dual agonist activities. Compared to a linear peptide dual agonist and semaglutide, the biaryl-stapled peptides displayed drastically improved proteolytic stability against the common digestive enzymes. Furthermore, two stapled peptides showed excellent efficacy in an oral glucose tolerance test in mice, owing to their potent receptor activity in vitro and good pharmacokinetics exposure upon subcutaneous injection. By exploring a more comprehensive set of biaryl staplers, we expect that this stapling method could facilitate the design of the stapled peptide-based dual agonists suitable for oral administration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor / agonists
  • Mice
  • Peptides / pharmacology
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Receptors, Gastrointestinal Hormone* / agonists

Substances

  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor
  • Peptides
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Receptors, Gastrointestinal Hormone
  • Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide
  • gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor