10.1021/acs.jnatprod.7b00359
The research focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of dolastatin 10 analogues, which are of significant interest in cancer research due to their potent in vitro activity and potential use as payloads in antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The study aims to modify the P2 subunit of the dolastatin 10 core scaffold by introducing heteroatoms to the P2 side chain, resulting in compounds that maintain potent in vitro activity. The most active compounds were found to contain azides in the P2 unit and required a phenylalanine-derived P5 subunit. The researchers synthesized a series of auristatins, which are derivatives of dolastatin 10, using various amino acids and chemical modifications, including amines, azides, oxygens, and thiols. Key chemicals used in the synthesis process included Fmoc-protected amino acids, CMPI (2-chloro-1-methylpyridinium iodide), HATU (1-[bis(dimethylamino)methylene]-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridinium 3-oxid hexafluorophosphate), TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), and other reagents for specific coupling and deprotection steps. The conclusions of the research indicated that the P2 side chain modifications could be active in vitro, but these modified compounds followed a different activity trend than valine-based P2 compounds, and the presence of an ester or amide at the P5 position was crucial for the activity of these molecules in vitro.