10.1021/jm00082a008
The study investigates the synthesis and biological properties of the cyclic peptide [2,6-dimethyl-Tyr1,~Pen2,~Pen5]enkephalin (DMT-DPDPE, 2), which is a derivative of [~Pen~pPen~]enkephalin (DPDPE, 1). The researchers replaced the Tyrl residue of DPDPE with the unnatural amino acid 2,6-dimethyltyrosine (DMT) to create DMT-DPDPE. This modification significantly enhanced the peptide's potency at the δ opioid receptor (10-fold increase) and the μ receptor (35-fold increase), while maintaining substantial δ receptor selectivity. In in vitro tests, DMT-DPDPE was 86-fold more effective than DPDPE at inhibiting electrically stimulated contractions of the mouse vas deferens. In vivo, DMT-DPDPE demonstrated systemic analgesic activity, with an ED50 of 2.6 mg/kg in the writhing test and a 7-fold increase in potency over DPDPE in the intracerebroventricular hot plate test. Notably, DMT-DPDPE was effective in the hot plate test following subcutaneous administration, suggesting it can cross the blood-brain barrier to some extent. The study highlights the potential of DMT-DPDPE as a potent and selective δ opioid receptor agonist with systemic analgesic properties.