Metallopeptide approach to the design of biologically active ligands: design of specific human neutrophil elastase inhibitors.

A series of compounds was designed to inhibit human neutrophil elastase utilizing a modified metallopeptide scheme developed in our laboratory termed metal-ion induced distinctive array of structures (MIDAS). These metallopeptides, synthesized by solution and solid-phase methods, exhibited excellent structural diversity and specificity in inhibiting human neutrophil elastase.