New glycoside derivatives of carnosine and analogs resistant to carnosinase hydrolysis: synthesis and characterization of their copper(II) complexes

Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is an endogenous dipeptide widely and abundantly distributed in muscle and nervous tissues of several animal species. Many functions have been proposed for this compound, such as antioxidant and metal ion-chelator properties. However, the main limitation on therapeutic use of carnosine on pathologies related to increased oxidative stress and/or metal ion dishomeostasis is associated with the hydrolysis by the specific dipeptidase carnosinase. Several attempts have been made to overcome this limitation. On this basis, we functionalized carnosine and its amide derivative with small sugars such as glucose and lactose. The resistance of these derivatives to the carnosinase hydrolysis was tested and compared with that of carnosine. We found that the glycoconjugation protects the dipeptide moiety from carnosinase hydrolysis, thus potentially improving the availability of carnosine. The copper(II) binding properties of all the new synthesized compounds were investigated by spectroscopic (UV-Visible and circular dichroism) and ESI-MS studies. Particularly, the new family of amide derivatives that are not significantly hydrolyzed by carnosinase is a very promising class of carnosine derivatives. The sugar moiety can act as a recognition element. These new derivatives are potentially able to act as chelating agents in the development of clinical approaches for the regulation of metal homeostasis in the field of medicinal inorganic chemistry.