The Biological Stability of ?-Peptides: No Interactions between ?- and ?-Peptidic Structures?

Abstract

The use of peptides in pharmaceutical applications is always hindered by the rapid degradation of the peptides by enzymes. Recent work on ?-peptides, peptides constructed entirely from ?-amino acids, has shown that even the short-chain oligomers (6 or 7 residues) exhibit remarkably stable secondary structures. However, before certain applications of ?-peptides can be considered, an information about their possible interactions or reactions with enzymes must be acquired.Ames tests (all negative) have now been performed on a selection of ?-amino acids, which would be the result of the enzymatic degradation of a ?-peptide. Furthermore, digestion experiments using a variety of peptidases and ?-peptides have now shown that ?-peptides, in sharp contrast to their ?-peptide counterparts, undergo no degradation.