Peptidomimetic Enzyme Inhibitors Targeting M. tuberculosis Ribonucleotide Reductase and Hepatitis C Virus NS3 Protease

Abstract: This thesis focuses on the design and synthesis of inhibitors targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease; enzymes that have been identified as potential drug targets for the treatment of tuberculosis and hepatitis C, respectively. Small peptides have been recognized as inhibitors of these enzymes. However, the use of peptides as drugs is limited due to their unfavorable properties. These can be circumvented by the development of less peptidic molecules, often referred to as peptidomimetics. When this work was initiated, only a few inhibitors targeting M. tuberculosis RNR had been identified, whereas the HCV NS3 protease was an established drug target. Therefore, early peptidomimetic design strategies were applied to inhibitors of RNR while the NS3 protease inhibitors were subjected to modifications in a later stage of development.It has previously been shown that peptides derived from the C-terminus of the small subunit of M. tuberculosis RNR can compete for binding to the large subunit, and thus inhibit enzyme activity. To investigate the structural requirements of these inhibitors, different series of peptides were evaluated. First, peptides from an N-terminal truncation, an alanine scan and a designed library were synthesized and evaluated to examine the importance of the individual amino acid residues. Then, a set of N-terminally Fmoc-protected peptides was evaluated, and it was found that the N-terminal group improved the affinity of the peptides even when the length of the compounds was reduced. Furthermore, potential inhibitors of less peptidic character were generated by the introduction of a benzodiazepine-based scaffold.To further reduce the peptidic character and investigate the binding properties of HCV NS3 protease inhibitors, a series of tripeptides incorporating a ?-amino acid was synthesized. Inhibition was evaluated and docking studies were performed to understand how the structural changes affected inhibitory potency. The results illustrated the importance of preserving the hydrogen bonding network and retaining electrostatic interactions in the oxyanion hole between inhibitor and protein.