Chromatographic Determination of Permeability-Relevant Lipophilicity Facilitates Rapid Analysis of Macrocyclic Peptide Scaffolds

J Med Chem. 2024 Nov 14;67(21):19612-19622. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01956. Epub 2024 Oct 25.

Abstract

Hydrocarbon-determined shake-flask measurements have demonstrated great utility for optimizing lipophilicity during early drug discovery. Alternatively, chromatographic methods confer reduced experimental error and improved handling of complex mixtures. In this study, we developed a chromatographic approach for estimating hydrocarbon-water shake-flask partition coefficients for a variety of macrocyclic peptides and other bRo5 molecules including PROTACs. The model accurately predicts experimental shake-flask measurements with high reproducibility across a wide range of lipophilicities. The chromatographic retention times revealed subtle conformational effects and correlated with the ability to sequester hydrogen bond donors in low dielectric media. Estimations of shake-flask lipophilicity from our model also accurately predicted trends in MDCK passive cell permeability for a variety of thioether-cyclized decapeptides. This method provides a convenient, high-throughput approach for measuring lipophilic permeability efficiency and predicting passive cell permeability in bRo5 compounds that is suitable for multiplexing pure compounds or investigating the properties of complex library mixtures.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Membrane Permeability
  • Dogs
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Macrocyclic Compounds / chemistry
  • Macrocyclic Compounds / pharmacology
  • Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells
  • Peptides, Cyclic* / chemistry
  • Peptides, Cyclic* / metabolism
  • Peptides, Cyclic* / pharmacology
  • Permeability

Substances

  • Peptides, Cyclic
  • Macrocyclic Compounds