Structure-activity studies on the C-terminal amide of substance P

Twelve C-terminal heptapeptide analogues of substance P have been synthesized by solid phase and by the classical solution method. The modifications concerned all the C-terminal primary amide of SP and should therefore help to understand the biological significance of this carboxamide, as evaluated by in vivo and in vitro bioassays. From the results it can be seen that not the slightest change of the two amide protons is tolerated without an important loss of activity: replacement of one or two amide protons with alkyl groups, extension of the amide to the hydrazide and its alkyl analogues, and exchange of the amide with an ester or a carboxylic acid all reduce the relative activity/affinity at least by 2-fold. It is not clear for what reason all these modifications produce such a drastic activity reduction.