Synthesis, biological evaluation, hydration site thermodynamics, and chemical reactivity analysis of α-keto substituted peptidomimetics for the inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum

Abstract A new series of peptidomimetic pseudo-prolyl-homophenylalanylketones were designed, synthesized and evaluated for inhibition of the Plasmodium falciparum cysteine proteases falcipain-2 (FP-2) and falcipain-3 (FP-3). In addition, the parasite killing activity of these compounds in human blood-cultured P. falciparum was examined. Of twenty-two (22) compounds synthesized, one peptidomimetic comprising a homophenylalanine-based α-hydroxyketone linked Cbz-protected hydroxyproline ( 39 ) showed the most potency (IC 50 80 nM against FP-2 and 60 nM against FP-3). In silico analysis of these peptidomimetic analogs offered important protein–ligand structural insights including the role, by WaterMap, of water molecules in the active sites of these protease isoforms. The pseudo-dipeptide 39 and related compounds may serve as a promising direction forward in the design of competitive inhibitors of falcipains for the effective treatment of malaria.