Anticonvulsant evaluation and docking analysis of VV-Hemorphin-5 analogues

VV-Hemorphin-5 is an endogenous opioid peptide of the Hemorphin family with affinity at opioid receptors. A series of C-amide analogues have been synthesized, based on the structure of VV-Hemorphin-5, modified at position 1 and 7 by the un/natural amino acids (Aa8-Val-Val-Tyr-Pro-Trp-Thr-Gln-NH₂ and Val-Val-Tyr-Pro-Trp-Thr-Aa1-NH₂ ) using SPPS, Fmoc-chemistry. The peptide derivatives were evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity in three acute seizure tests in male ICR mice, the maximal electroshock (MES), the 6 Hz psychomotor seizure test, and the timed intravenous pentylenetetrazole (ivPTZ) infusion test. Their neurotoxicity was assessed in the rotarod test. Among the tested peptide analogues, V4 showed anticonvulsant activity in the three seizure tests that was comparable to the VV-Hemorphin-5 (V1) used as a positive control. While V5, V6, and V7 peptide derivatives exhibited anticonvulsant activity in the MES and 6 Hz test, they were inactive (V7) or showed pro-convulsant effect (V5 and V6) in the i.v. PTZ test. At a dose of 10 μg/mouse the peptide V2 was effective against clonic seizures induced by PTZ. Motor coordination was not affected by newly developed analogues of VV-Hemorphin-5. Docking study results suggest that kappa opioid receptor binding could be the mechanism of action of peptide derivatives with anticonvulsant activity. The results suggest that incorporation of nonproteinogenic and/or natural amino acids at position 1 and 7 of the VV-Hemorphin-5 scaffold deserve further evaluation in models of epilepsy and derivatization.