Cyclic peptide-based potent and selective SIRT1/2 dual inhibitors harboring N^ε-thioacetyl-lysine

In the current study, we discovered that several N-terminus-to-side chain cyclic tripeptides harboring the catalytic mechanism-based SIRT1/2/3 inhibitory warhead N^ε-thioacetyl-lysine at their central positions exhibited a comparably strong inhibition (nM level) against the SIRT1/2-catalyzed N^ε-acetyl-lysine deacetylation reactions. Their dual SIRT1/2 inhibitory action was also found to be stronger than that against SIRT3/5/6. Considering the previous demonstration that a SIRT1/2 dual inhibition could be instrumental in achieving an anti-cancer effect on those cancers retaining the wild-type tumor suppresser p53 protein, these compounds could be employed as leads for developing novel anti-cancer agents.