Pyloricidin A

The novel natural antibiotics pyloricidin A, B and C, which possess potent and highly selective anti-Helicobacter pylori activity, were synthesized from D-galactosamine as a chiral template for the common (2S,3R,4R,5S)-5-amino-2,3,4,6-tetrahydroxyhexanoic acid moiety. The synthetic strategy, using 2-amino-2-deoxyuronic acid derivatives as key intermediates, was also useful to prepare a series of derivatives modified at the beta-D-phenylalanine and with altered stereochemistry on the 5-amino-2,3,4,6-tetrahydroxyhexanoic acid moiety. From the drastic decrease of their anti-H. pylori activity, it was clear that the beta-D-phenylalanine part and the stereochemistry of the 5-amino-2,3,4,6-tetrahydroxyhexanoic acid moiety were significant for the activity.

The novel natural antibiotics pyloricidin A, B and C possess potent and highly selective antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori. In order to investigate the structure activity relationships for the terminal peptidic moiety, a series of pyloricidin B and pyloricidin C derivatives, bearing various amino acids in the moiety, were prepared and evaluated for their anti-H. pylori activity. The derivatives bearing alpha-D-, beta- and gamma-amino acids or peptidemimetics showed drastically decreased activity. On the other hand, the derivatives with a-L-amino acids were found to maintain the activity. Among the derivatives prepared in this work, the allylglycine derivative 2s showed the most potent anti-H. pylori activity, with an MIC value of less than 0.006 microg/ml against H. pylori NCTC11637, which is 60-fold greater than the activity of the lead compound pyloricidin C.

The novel natural antibiotics pyloricidin A, B and C, consisting of a common (2S,3R,4R,5S)-5-amino-2,3,4,6-tetrahydroxyhexanoyl-beta-D-phenylalanine moiety and a terminal peptidic moiety (pyloricidin A: L-valine-L-valine-L-leucine; pyloricidin B: L-valine-L-leucine; pyloricidin C: L-leucine), exhibit potent and highly selective anti-Helicobacter pylori activity. In order to develop more potent compounds and to investigate structure activity relationships for the peptidic moiety with regard to the combination of amino acids, a series of derivatives with various dipeptidic moieties were prepared and evaluated for their anti-H. pylori activity. The combination of the two amino acids in the moiety was found to have a significant effect on the activity; the compound with Nva-Abu showed excellent anti-H. pylori activity with an MIC value of 0.013 microg/ml against H. pylori TN2. In addition, this compound was found to show 60% clearance of H. pylori from infected Mongolian gerbils upon repetitive oral administration (10 mg/kg, b. i. d. for 7 days).