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Five analogs of oxytocin have been synthesized with a homocysteine residue in position 6 and 2-, 3-, or 4-carbon residues in position 1. The compounds, which contain 20-, 21-, and 22-membered disulfide rings, respectively, were [1-alpha-mercaptoacetic acid,6-homocysteine]oxytocin, [6-homocysteine]oxytocin, [1-beta-mercaptopropionic acid,6-homocysteine]oxytocin, [1,6-homocystine]oxytocin, and [1-gamma-mercaptobutyric acid,6-homocysteine]oxytocin. The appropriate protected polypeptide intermediates were prepared by the solid-phase method of peptide synthesis. The protecting groups were removed by treatment with Na in NH3 and the disulfide bond was formed by oxidation with ICH2CH2I in aqueous MeOH. Purification was effected by partition chromatography followed by gel filtration. The pharmacological activities of all five analogs are reported for the oxytocic, avian vasodepressor, and rat pressor assays. Compared to oxytocin, these analogs exhibited sharply reduced agonist potencies, and several exhibited antagonist acitivty.

[4-Phenylalanine]oxytocin was prepared from Z-Cys(Bzl)-Tyr(Bzl)-Ile-Phe-Asn-Cys(Bzl)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NG2 (4) by deprotection with Na in NH3 followed by cyclization of the resulting disulfhydryl compound with ICH2CH2I. The protected peptide 4 was prepared from Boc-Asn-Cys(Bzl)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 by the stepwise solution method. Coupling was effected by a modification of the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-1-hydroxybenzotriazole preactivation method wherein the precipitate of dicyclohexylurea is removed by filtration prior to mixing of the amino and carboxyl components. The analog was found to be an effective inhibitor of the antidiuretic (ADH) response to exogenous arginine-vasopressin. It produced marked diuresis in the anti-ADH assay at approximately the same dose level as does [Leu4]oxytocin but, in contrast to [Leu4]oxytocin, showed natriuretic activity only at relatively high dose levels. In addition, [Phe4]oxytocin exhibited 0.15% of the oxytocic potency of oxytocin, weak antiavian vasodepressor activity (pA2 = 6.93), and no measurable rat pressor activity.

[1-Beta-mercapto-beta,beta-pentamethylenepropionic acid]oxytocin was prepared from beta-Mpa(beta-(CH2)5)(Bzl)-Tyr(Bzl)-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys(Bzl)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 by removal of the Bzl-protecting groups with Na-NH3 followed by cyclization of the resulting disulfhydryl compound with K3Fe(CN)6.The analog was purified by desalting on Sephadex G-15 in 50% HOAc and gel filtration on Sephadex G-25 and LH-20. The protected intermediate above was synthesized from Z-Cys(Bzl)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 by the stepwose p-nitrophenyl ester method using Nalpha-Boc protection at the penta-, hexa-, and octapeptide stages. The analog was found to be a potent inhibitor of the oxytocic and avian vasodepressor effects of oxytocin (pA2 values of 7.43 and 8.30, respectively) but was only a weak inhibitor of the rat pressor effect of 8-lysine-vasopressin. The rat antipressor potency of [1-deaminopenicillamine]oxytocin was also determined in this study: pA2 = 6.27. Of the alkyl-substituted 1-position analogs of oxytocin studied so far, [1-beta-mercapto-beta,beta-pentamethylenepropionic acid]oxytocin is the most potent antioxytocic agent.

[7-Thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid)]oxytocin and [1-beta-mercaptopropionic acid,7-(thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid)]oxytocin have been synthesized by a solid-phase method. Alpha-N-tert-Butoxycarbonyl- and S-ethylcarbamoyl-protecting groups were employed. The dipeptide Boc-Cys(Ec)-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid as well as individual residues was coupled to a H-Gly-dehydroalanine-resin with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide in the presence of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole. The appropriate protected polypeptide intermediates were cleaved from the resin by acidolysis, deprotected in NH3, and oxidized to the cyclic disulfide analogues with ICH2CH2I. Purification was effected by partition chromatography and gel filtration. Relative to oxytocin and [1-beta-mercaptopropionic acid]oxytocin, these analogues exhibit greatly enhanced oxytocic and avian vasodepressor potencies and unchanged rat pressor potencies.

The synthesis of the protected polypeptide precursor of [1-beta-mercapto-beta,beta-diethylpropionic acid,2-(3,5-dibromo-L-tyrosine)]oxytocin was performed in a stepwise manner by solution techniques. This analog of oxytocin has two modifications, each of which taken alone gives analogs which inhibit some of the pharmacological responses to oxytocin. The S-ethylcarbamoyl protecting groups of beta-Mpa(beta-Et2)(Ec)-Dbt-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys(Ec)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 were removed in refluxing liquid NH3, and the resulting disulfhydryl compound was oxidatively cyclized in H2O-MeOH with ICH2CH2I. Purification was effected by partition chromatography and gel filtration. The analog possesses antioxytocic (pA2 = 7.08) and antiavian vasodepressor (pA2 = 7.38) activities but has neither agonist nor antagonist activity in the rat pressor assay. These potencies are close to those exhibited by [1-beta-mercaptopropionic acid,2-(3,5-dibromo-L-tyrosine)]oxytocin but different from those of [1-beta-mercapto-beta,beta-diethylpropionic acid]oxytocin.

For the synthesis of [1-L-penicillamine,4-L-leucine]oxytocin (2), Z-Tyr(Bzl)-Ile-Leu-Asn-Cys(Bzl)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 was treated with anhydrous HBr, and the resulting partially deprotected octapeptide was coupled with Z-penicillamine(Bzl) in a condensation reaction mediated by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole. The protected nonapeptide Z-penicillamine(Bzl)-Tyr-Ile-Leu-Asn-Cys(Bzl)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 was treated with Na in NH3 and the resulting disulfhydryl compound was subjected to oxidative cyclization in H2O-CH3OH with ICH2CH2I, Purification of 2 was effected by partition chromatography and gel filtration. The analog possesses antioxytocic and antiavian vasodepressor pA2 values of 6.77 and 7.21, respectively, and has no antipressor or anti-ADH activity. Its biological activity spectrum is qualitatively identical with that of [1-penicillamine]oxytocin. In contrast to the marked natriuretic-diuretic and anti-antidiuretic activity of [Leu4]oxytocin, 2 exhibits none of these effects on the rat kidney.

[1-Beta-Mercaptopropionic acid,2-(3,5-dibromo-L-tyrosine)]oxytocin was synthesized from a protected polypeptide intermediate that had been prepared by the condensation of S-ethylcarbamoyl-beta-mercaptopropionyl-3,5-dibromotyrosine with H-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys(Ec)-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2, using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide in dimethylformamide. The ethylcarbamoyl (Ec) protecting groups were removed by refluxing NH3, and the resulting disulfhydryl peptide was oxidatively cyclized to the corresponding disulfide by ICH2CH2I. Purification of the analog was effected by partition chromatography and gel filtration. The analog possesses antioxytocic (pA2 = 7.05) and antiavian vasodepressor (pA2 = 7.44) activities but has neither agonist nor antagonist activity in the rat pressor assay.