On the repetitive excess mixed anhydride method for the synthesis of peptides. Synthesis of the sequence 1‐10 of human growth hormone

Abstract

AbstractThe synthesis of the fully protected N‐terminal decapeptide of human growth hormone, Boc‐Phe‐Pro‐Thr(Bzl)‐Ile‐Pro‐Leu‐Ser(Bzl)‐Arg(NO2)‐Leu‐Phe‐OMe (HGH 1‐10) by the repetitive excess mixed anhydride (REMA) method is described.Starting from Phe‐OMe this sequence was synthesized in a stepwise manner in an overall yield of 59%. In the coupling of Boc‐Ile to Pro‐Leu‐Ser(Bzl)‐Arg‐(NO2)‐Leu‐Phe‐OMe the isobutoxycarbonyl derivative of the amino‐component was isolated. This problem of reaction on the undesirable side of the mixed anhydride in the couplings to proline‐peptides was circumvented by the coupling of dipeptides, viz. Boc‐Ile‐Pro and Boc‐Phe‐Pro. Also a larger peptide fragment, ZPhe‐Pro‐Thr‐Ile‐Pro (HGH 1‐5), was conveniently coupled to the C‐terminal pentapeptide. Synthesis of Boc‐Leu‐Ser(Bzl)‐Arg(NO2)‐Leu‐Phe‐OMe (HGH 6‐10) was performed with and without intermediate purification. It was found that the yield was higher when no purifications were applied.HGH 6‐10 was compared with the corresponding peptide synthesized by the solid phase method. Both products were found to be identical with regard to melting point, optical rotation and chromatographic behaviour. The decapeptide, on deprotection, showed identical chromatographic behaviour with a product obtained by the solid phase method. The optical rotations showed a small difference; no significant racemization could be detected on digestion with L‐amino‐acid oxidase.