New 4-aminoproline-based small molecule cyclopeptidomimetics as potential modulators of α4β1 integrin

Integrin α4β1 belongs to the leukocyte integrin family and represents a therapeutic target of relevant interest given its primary role in mediating inflammation, autoimmune pathologies and cancer-related diseases. The focus of the present work is the design, synthesis and characterization of new peptidomimetic compounds that are potentially able to recognize α4β1 integrin and interfere with its function. To this aim, a collection of seven new cyclic peptidomimetics possessing both a 4-aminoproline (Amp) core scaffold grafted onto key α4β1-recognizing sequences and the (2-methylphenyl)ureido-phenylacetyl (MPUPA) appendage, was designed, with the support of molecular modeling studies. The new compounds were synthesized through SPPS procedures fol-lowed by in-solution cyclization maneuvers. The biological evaluation of the new cyclic ligands in cell adhesion assays on Jurkat cells revealed promising submicromolar agonist activity in one com-pound, namely, the c[Amp(MPUPA)Val-Asp-Leu] cyclopeptide. Further investigations will be nec-essary to complete the characterization of this class of compounds.