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Nitropeptide Profiling and Identification Illustrated by Angiotensin II
Published on: June 16, 2019
Urotensin-II Ligands: An Overview from Peptide to Nonpeptide Structures
Francesco Merlino1, Salvatore Di Maro, Ali Munaim Yousif
1Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Abstract:
Urotensin-II was originally isolated from the goby urophysis in the 1960s as a vasoactive peptide with a prominent role in cardiovascular homeostasis. The identification of human isoform of urotensin-II and its specific UT receptor by Ames et al. in 1999 led to investigating the putative role of the interaction U-II/UT receptor in multiple pathophysiological effects in humans. Since urotensin-II is widely expressed in several peripheral tissues including cardiovascular system, the design and development of novel urotensin-II analogues can improve knowledge about structure-activity relationships (SAR). In particular, since the modulation of the U-II system offers a great potential for therapeutic strategies related to the treatment of several diseases, like cardiovascular diseases, the research of selective and potent ligands at UT receptor is more fascinating. In this paper, we review the developments of peptide and nonpeptide U-II structures so far developed in order to contribute also to a more rational and detectable design and synthesis of new molecules with high affinity at the UT receptor.
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