1,5-Disubstituted 1,2,3-Triazoles as Amide Bond Isosteres Yield Novel Tumor-Targeting Minigastrin Analogs

1,5-Disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles (1,5-Tz) are considered bioisosteres of cis-amide bonds. However, their use for enhancing the pharmacological properties of peptides or proteins is not yet well established. Aiming to illustrate their utility, we chose the peptide conjugate [Nle15]MG11 (DOTA-dGlu-Ala-Tyr-Gly-Trp-Nle-Asp-Phe-NH2) as a model compound since it is known that the cholecystokinin-2 receptor (CCK2R) is able to accommodate turn conformations. Analogs of [Nle15]MG11 incorporating 1,5-Tz in the backbone were synthesized and radiolabeled with lutetium-177, and their pharmacological properties (cell internalization, receptor binding affinity and specificity, plasma stability, and biodistribution) were evaluated and compared with [Nle15]MG11 as well as their previously reported analogs bearing 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles. Our investigations led to the discovery of novel triazole-modified analogs of [Nle15]MG11 with nanomolar CCK2R-binding affinity and 2-fold increased tumor uptake. This study illustrates that substitution of amides by 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles is an effective strategy to enhance the pharmacological properties of biologically active peptides.