RPI856 A

Four kinds of retrovirus protease inhibitors (RPI-856 A, B, C and D) were isolated as white powder from the culture filtrate of a soil isolate, Streptomyces sp. AL-322 by column chromatography using Diaion HP-20, Sephadex LH-20, ODS reversed phase HPLC and SP-2SW ion exchange HPLC. The structures of these inhibitors were elucidated by physico-chemical properties, chemical reactions and spectral analyses, as valyl-ADPAA-leucyl-AOPBA-valyl-valyl-aspartic acid (RPI-856 A and B) and valyl-ADPAA-leucyl-AOPBA-valyl-valine (RPI-856 C and D) [ADPAA = 2-amino-2-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)acetic acid, AOPBA = 3-amino-2-oxo-4-phenylbutyric acid]. RPI-856 A and B, and RPI-856 C and D were both determined to be diasteromers each other on the asymmetric carbon in AOPBA. These four inhibitors strongly inhibited in vitro HIV-1 protease and HTLV-I protease both derived from recombinant Escherichia coli with IC50 of 10(-7) approximately 10(-8) M.

Tripeptide analogues 2 and 3 containing a dioxoethylene moiety were designed based on the characteristic structure of the naturally occurring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 protease inhibitors RPI-856 A, B, C and D (1). The compounds (2, 3) prepared showed high inhibitory activity, comparable to that of RPI-856 A, against HIV-1 protease in vitro.