| abstract |
It has been found that by using dimethyl formamide as a part of the solvent, the Albertson method for preparing amino acids can be applied to the preparation, in good yield, of long-chain aliphatic amino acids, previously obtainable only in poor yields. The products, some of which are novel, have useful properties per se, due to their lipid-like structure; and, by means of coupling reactions using a carbodiimide and a phase-transfer catalyst, can be homo- or hetero-oligomerized to useful lipopeptides. These monomers or lipopeptides can be incorporated into bioactive peptides to increase their hydrophobicity, or conjugated with pharmaceutical agents to modify their pharmacokinetic properties, including translocation across biological membranes and metabolic stability. They can also be polymerized, via their Leuchs anhydrides or active esters, to lipoproteins. |