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Recent clinical trials have revealed that the chimeric peptide hormones simultaneously activating glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) demonstrate superior efficacy in glycemic control and body weight reduction, better than those activating the GLP-1R alone. However, the linear peptide-based GLP-1R/GIPR dual agonists are susceptible to proteolytic cleavage by common digestive enzymes present in the gastrointestinal tract and thus not suitable for oral administration. Here, we report the design and synthesis of biaryl-stapled peptides, with and without fatty diacid attachment, that showed potent GLP-1R/GIPR dual agonist activities. Compared to a linear peptide dual agonist and semaglutide, the biaryl-stapled peptides displayed drastically improved proteolytic stability against the common digestive enzymes. Furthermore, two stapled peptides showed excellent efficacy in an oral glucose tolerance test in mice, owing to their potent receptor activity in vitro and good pharmacokinetics exposure upon subcutaneous injection. By exploring a more comprehensive set of biaryl staplers, we expect that this stapling method could facilitate the design of the stapled peptide-based dual agonists suitable for oral administration.

Oxyntomodulin (OXM) is an intestinal peptide hormone that activates both glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon (GCG) receptors. The natural peptide reduces body weight in obese subjects and exhibits direct acute glucoregulatory effects in patients with type II diabetes. However, the clinical utility of OXM is limited due to its lower in vitro potency and short in vivo half-life. To overcome these issues, we developed stapled, long-acting, and highly potent OXM analogs with balanced activities at both GLP-1 and GCG receptors. The lead molecule O14 exhibits potent and long-lasting effects on glucose control, body weight loss, and reduction of hepatic fat reduction in DIO mice. Importantly, O14 significantly reversed hepatic steatosis; reduced liver weight, total cholesterol, and hepatic triglycerides; and improved markers of liver function in a nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) mouse model. A symmetrical version of the peptide was also shown to be more efficacious and long-lasting in controlling glucose than semaglutide and the clinical candidate cotadutide in wild-type mice, highlighting the utility of our designs of the dual agonist as a potential new therapy for diabetes and liver diseases.

Autoimmune deficiency and destruction in either β-cell mass or function can cause insufficient insulin levels and, as a result, hyperglycemia and diabetes. Thus, promoting β-cell proliferation could be one approach toward diabetes intervention. In this report we describe the discovery of a potent and selective DYRK1A inhibitor GNF2133, which was identified through optimization of a 6-azaindole screening hit. In vitro, GNF2133 is able to proliferate both rodent and human β-cells. In vivo, GNF2133 demonstrated significant dose-dependent glucose disposal capacity and insulin secretion in response to glucose-potentiated arginine-induced insulin secretion (GPAIS) challenge in rat insulin promoter and diphtheria toxin A (RIP-DTA) mice. The work described here provides new avenues to disease altering therapeutic interventions in the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D).

[Image: see text] Anorexigenic peptides offer promise as potential therapies targeting the escalating global obesity epidemic. Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP), a novel member of the RFamide family secreted by the hypothalamus, shows therapeutic potential by decreasing food intake and body weight in rodent models via GPR10 activation. Here we describe the design of a long-acting PrRP using our recently developed novel multiple ethylene glycol-fatty acid (MEG-FA) stapling platform. By incorporating serum albumin binding fatty acids onto a covalent side chain staple, we have generated a series of MEG-FA stapled PrRP analogs with enhanced serum stability and in vivo half-life. Our lead compound 18-S4 exhibits good in vitro potency and selectivity against GPR10, improved serum stability, and extended in vivo half-life (7.8 h) in mouse. Furthermore, 18-S4 demonstrates a potent body weight reduction effect in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model, representing a promising long-acting PrRP analog for further evaluation in the chronic obesity setting.

Pancreatic β-cell apoptosis, a hallmark of the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D), is associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, an agent protecting β-cells from cytoki...

Glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) is a hormone that has been shown to stimulate intestinal growth and attenuate intestinal inflammation. Despite being efficacious in a variety of animal models of disease, its therapeutic potential is hampered by the short half-life in vivo. We now describe a highly potent, stapled long-acting GLP-2 analog, peptide 10, that has a more than 10-fold longer half-life than teduglutide and improved intestinotrophic and anti-inflammatory effects in mouse models of DSS-induced colitis.

In recent years, the reduction of CO2 emissions has become a joint effort throughout the world, and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is an effective approach to solving the problem of CO2 emissions. In the present study, the effects of adding CH4, Ar, and H2S to CO2 on the interfacial tension (IFT) and wettability (contact angle, CA) of the CO2/water/silica system have been investigated using molecular dynamics simulation methods at 20 MPa and 318 K when the molar concentration of impurity gas was fixed at 20%. For the conditions studied, (1) CH4 has no significant effect; (2) Ar leads to a higher IFT, a larger CA on silica surfaces with a high hydroxyl density, and a smaller CA on silica surfaces with a low hydroxyl density; and (3) H2S causes a decrease of the IFT and an increase of the CA. Capillary pressure and gas storage capacity were predicted using IFT and CA data, and the variation of IFT and CA were explained based on density profiles normal to the gas/water and gas/silica interfaces. Thes...

Deep saline aquifers are considered as perfect storage sites to sequestrate CO2. Interfacial tensions (IFTs) and contact angles (CAs) are key parameters in the heat and mass transfer processes for CO2/brine/mineral systems in porous media. In the present study, a molecular dynamics simulation method was used to investigate the effects of brine salinity and ion type on wettability of CO2/brine/mineral systems at 20 MPa and 318.15 K. Four common brines were selected as NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2. Interfacial tensions, water contact angles, and hydrogen bond structure and dynamics have been analyzed. The effects of brine salinity and ion type on water contact angles were found to be very complicated. For MgCl2 and NaCl solutions, the contact angle increases with salinity. For CaCl2 and KCl solutions, contact angle first increases and then remains constant with salinity. The product of IFT(CO2–brine) and the cosine of CA was found to be constant for all brine solutions studied. In the context of large uncert...

The gaseous neuromodulator H2S is associated with neuronal cell death pursuant to cerebral ischemia. As cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) is the primary mediator of H2S biogenesis in the brain, it has emerged as a potential target for the treatment of stroke. Herein, a "zipped" approach by alkene cross-metathesis into CBS inhibitor candidate synthesis is demonstrated. The inhibitors are modeled after the pseudo-C 2-symmetric CBS product (l,l)-cystathionine. The "zipped" concept means only half of the inhibitor needs be constructed; the two halves are then fused by olefin cross-metathesis. Inhibitor design is also mechanism-based, exploiting the favorable kinetics associated with hydrazine-imine interchange as opposed to the usual imine-imine interchange. It is demonstrated that the most potent "zipped" inhibitor 6S reduces H2S production in SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing CBS, thereby reducing cell death. Most importantly, CBS inhibitor 6S dramatically reduces infarct volume (1 h post-stroke treatment; ∼70% reduction) in a rat transient middle cerebral artery occlusion model for ischemia.

Incretin-based peptides are effective therapeutics for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Oxyntomodulin (OXM), a dual agonist of GLP-1R and GCGR, has shown superior weight loss and glucose lowering effects, compared to single GLP-1R agonists. To overcome the short half-life and rapid renal clearance of OXM, which limit its therapeutic potential, both lipid and PEG modified OXM analogs have been reported. However, these approaches often result in reduced potency or PEG-associated toxicity. Herein, we report a new class of cross-linked OXM analogs that show increased plasma stability and higher potency in activating both GLP-1R and GCGR. Moreover, the extended in vivo half-life results in superior antihyperglycemic activity in mice compared to the wild-type OXM.

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells form a monolayer adjacent to the retina and play a critical role in the visual light cycle. Degeneration of RPE cells results in retinal disorders such as age-related macular degeneration. Cell transplant strategies have potential therapeutic value for such disorders; however, risks associated with and an inadequate supply of donor cells limit their therapeutic success. The identification of factors that proliferate RPE cells ex vivo could provide a renewable source of cells for transplantation. Here we report that a small molecule (WS3) can reversibly proliferate primary RPE cells isolated from fetal and adult human donors. Following withdrawal of WS3, RPE cells differentiate into a functional monolayer, as exhibited by their expression of mature RPE genes and phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments. Furthermore, chemically expanded RPE cells preserve vision when transplanted into dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, a well-established model of retinal degeneration.

The identification of factors that promote β cell proliferation could ultimately move type 1 diabetes treatment away from insulin injection therapy and toward a cure. We have performed high-throughput, cell-based screens using rodent β cell lines to identify molecules that induce proliferation of β cells. Herein we report the discovery and characterization of WS6, a novel small molecule that promotes β cell proliferation in rodent and human primary islets. In the RIP-DTA mouse model of β cell ablation, WS6 normalized blood glucose and induced concomitant increases in β cell proliferation and β cell number. Affinity pulldown and kinase profiling studies implicate Erb3 binding protein-1 and the IκB kinase pathway in the mechanism of action of WS6.

Described is a new method for the screening of an array of catalysts, in situ, to estimate enantioselectivity and relative rates. We term this approach "double-cuvette ISES (in situ enzymatic screening)". The Co(III)-salen mediated hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of (+/-)-propylene oxide is used as a model reaction to demonstrate proof of principle. In two parallel cuvettes, a lower CHCl3-based organic layer is loaded with the epoxide and the chiral salen catalyst. Aqueous reporting layers, containing distinct "reporting enzymes" and their nicotinamide cofactors, are layered above the organic layers. The 1,2-propanediol enantiomers formed by the chiral catalyst diffuse into the aqueous layer and are oxidized there by the reporting enzymes at rates dependent upon the diol concentration, the R:S ratio of the diol, and the enantioselectivity of the reporting enzymes. A focused chiral salen library was constructed from seven chiral 1,2-diamines, derived from amino acid, terpenoid, and carbohydrates skeletons, and seven salicylaldehyde derivatives. Double-cuvette ISES identified a couple of interesting combinatorial hits in this salen array, wherein either the sense or magnitude of enantioselection for a given chiral diamine depends significantly upon the choice of "salicylaldehyde" partner. A comparison of predicted ee's and relative rates using this new screening tool with those independently measured is provided.

Page 1672. Eric C. Peters was mistakenly listed in the Acknowledgment of the published Communication rather than in the author list. Eric C. Peters should be included in the author list between Jonathan G. Swoboda and Charles Y. Cho, along with indication (‡) of his affiliation with The Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. The first sentence of the Acknowledgment should now read as follows: The authors acknowledge the efforts of John Walker for experimental support.