2-acetylamino-3-[4-(2-acetylamino-2-carboxyethylsulfanylcarbonylamino)-phenylcarbamoylsulfanyl]propionic acid and its derivatives as a novel class of glutathione reductase inhibitors

Glutathione reductase (GR) catalyzes the reduction of oxidized glutathione to reduced glutathione. The enzyme is an attractive target for the development of antimalarial. agents, agents to decrease malarial drug resistance and anticancer agents. In addition, inhibition of the enzyme has been employed as a tool in research for various purposes. In this paper, we present a rational design of 2-acetylamino-3-[4-(2-acetylamino-2-carboxyethylsulfanylcarbonylamino)phenylcarbamoylsulfanyllpropionic acid and its derivatives as irreversible GR inhibitors. The K-i and k(inact) values of 2-acetylamino-3-[4-(2-acetylamino-2-carboxyethylsulfanylcarbonylamino)phenylcarbamoylsulfanyllpropionic acid, the most potent derivative of the series, are 88,mu M and 0.1 min(-1), respectively. Although the Ki value of the inhibitor is in the micromolar range, it is more potent than N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosourea, which is currently the most commonly employed irreversible GR inhibitor with a reported IC50 value of 646,mu M. Additional attractive features of the inhibitor include its ready availability through a one-step synthesis and good solubility in both organic and aqueous solutions.