Amino Acids Can Raise the Activity of Biological Polypeptides by over 4,000 Percent

1. “Amino Acids Can Raise the Activity of Biological Polypeptides by over 4,000 Percent Editor: Elaine Company: Creative Peptides Website: http://www.creative-peptides.com/ Tel: 1-631-624-4882 Email:info@creative-peptides.com

2. With the emergence of new diseases and bacteria, mutation of the virus, scientists need to develop new and more effective drugs. Swiss scientists have recently synthesized a kind of amino acid, which is able to shape the structure of the active polypeptides and enhance its efficacy; the activity of biological polypeptides can be increased by more than 4,000 percent. This achievement is expected to aid the development of a series of new drugs. Drugs we currently use are mainly made of two substances. One substance is a naturally existed polypeptide, while the other is the protein. Both of the two substances are composed of natural amino acids. Regardless of the wide variety of polypeptides and proteins, their synthesis only contains 20 kinds of natural amino acids. Actually, each amino acid has a different structure and chemical properties of different combinations in amino acids might produce varying polypeptides and proteins with distinctive features. Until recent years, the vast majority of amino acid-based drugs are also made of those naturally existed amino acids, such as hormones, insulin, antibiotics, cyclosporine and the like.

3. However, the emergence of a wide range of new diseases and the revolution of viruses have indicated that scientists need to develop some more effective drugs. While as for this unique issue, the best way is directed evolution, which means simulating natural development in the laboratory to develop new polypeptides and proteins. Then, a group of researchers have developed a synthetic amino acid, with a similar structure as natural amino acids. And because cysteine has the sulfeny1 that other natural amino acids don’t have, it can combine with another cysteine to form a new structure, thus affecting the functions of polypeptides and proteins. Researchers found that amino acids can help suppress an enzyme associated cancer and block the receptors found in neurons through being integrated into the structure of two biologically active polypeptides. The test showed that the drug activity has been promoted up by 40 times, compared with conventional drugs. Actually, structural diversity of peptide library is the key to achieving a good combination and better efficacy. With the new amino acid, highly diverse peptide structures can be realized. Bicyclic peptide has been regarded as the replacement of small molecules or large antibody in common drugs for the disease treatment. This new therapeutic polypeptides will play an important value in future drug design.

4. The new synthetic amino acids can enhance the activity of the drugs and improve their chemical properties to promote the efficacy. Scientists are also very surprised by the results. Whether those natural molecules can play a significant value in future drug design might be potential. Source(Read full text): http://www.wikigenes.org/e/pub/e/702.html