Rational design and biological evaluation of gemfibrozil modified Xenopus GLP-1 derivatives as long-acting hypoglycemic agents.

Rational design and biological evaluation of gemfibrozil modified Xenopus GLP-1 derivatives as long-acting hypoglycemic agents. Eur J Med Chem. 2020 May 04;198:112389 Authors: Han J, Fu J, Yang Q, Zhou F, Chen X, Li C, Yin J Abstract Novel methods for peptides structural modification and bioactivity optimization are highly needed in peptide-based drug discovery. Herein, we explored the use gemfibrozil (GFZ) as an albumin binder to enhance the stability and improve the bioactivity of peptides. Short-acting Xenopus glucagon-like peptide-1 (xGLP-1) analogues with anti-diabetic activity were selected as the starting point. Mono-GFZ conjugation, peptide sequence hybridization, and dimeric-GFZ derivatization were successively used to generate novel GFZ-xGLP-1 conjugates, biologically screened by various in vitro and in vivo models. Dimeric-GFZ modified conjugate 3b was finally identified as a promising anti-diabetic candidate with high albumin binding affinity, enhanced in vivo stability in SD rats, and long-acting hypoglycemic activity in db/db mice. Moreover, GFZ endowed 3b with strong lipid-regulating ability in DIO and db/db mice. In a twelve-week study, chronic administration of 3b in db/db mice resulted in sustained glycemic control, to a greater extent than liraglutide and semaglutide. In addition, 3b showed comparable therapeutic efficacies to liraglutide and semaglutide on HbA1c and pancreas islets protection. Our studies reveal...
Source: European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Eur J Med Chem Source Type: research