A series of functionalized catecholamines (congeners) has been synthesized in which, formalistically, the N-isopropyl group of isoproterenol has been extended by a linear alkyl chain of varying length, terminated by a carboxy group or a substituted amide. The compounds were prepared generally via the reductive amination of norepinephrine with a keto acid or a preformed keto amide. An alternate synthesis of the model amide derivatives, involving activation of the carboxylic acid congeners and coupling with amines, was complicated in the case of short-chain derivatives by facile cyclization to lactams. In vitro evaluation of these compounds as potential beta-adrenergic agonists has shown that, while the carboxylic acid congeners have relatively low potencies, the model amide derivatives have potencies that are highly dependent on both the length of the alkyl chain and also the nature of the substituent on the amide. In general, aromatic amides are the most potent, although the nature and position of substituents on the aromatic group dramatically influences their potency. The implications of these studies, in terms of general beta-adrenergic drug design and also the attachment of the carboxylic acid congeners to carriers, are discussed.

Several derivatives of tyrosine or its methyl ester have been synthesized in which the para hydroxyl group on the aromatic side chain has been converted to a long chain alkyl ether or urethane. The surface behavior of these compounds is discussed. Enantiomeric discrimination, the ability of a chiral molecule to distinguish between mirror-image stereoisomers, has been investigated for the urethane derivates by comparing the surface pressure-area isotherms of the enantiomer with that of the racemic compound. Enantiomeric discrimination was demonstrated for the methyl ester analog, but was not conclusively observed for the zwitterionic compounds. Possible structural requirements for enantiomeric discrimination in a chiral molecule are discussed.

A series of 19 congener derivatives and conjugates of histamine was synthesized and tested to determine whether the ligands would alter the conventional histamine activity in various tissues. The derivatives, which contained either branched or unbranched aliphatic groups, aromatic amide groups, or dipeptides, exhibited affinities for histamine type 1 and/or type 2 receptors that were widely different from the progenitor. The p-trifluoromethyl derivative of histamine with an intermediate chain length of four methylenes (compound 13) was the most potent lymphocytes H2 receptor agonist but was inactive on guinea pig myocardium H2 receptors. The deletion of a single methylene chain (compound 12) from this compound resulted in total loss of its H2 activity on lymphocytes and its H1 activity on aorta. Compound 12 became an exclusive H1 agonist on lymphocytes H1 receptors. The dipeptide conjugate (compound 17) and the aliphatic congener derivative (compound 18), both with four methylenes, retained some of the activity on guinea pig myocardium H2 receptors, but lost their activity on lymphocytes H2 receptors. Therefore, histamine can be modified at sites that are at a distance from the imidazole moiety, resulting in tissue selective histamine receptor agonists.

Induced Cotton effects have been observed in the visible region on interaction of bilirubin with chiral mono‐ and diamines and poly‐l‐lysine. At alkaline pH distinct CD spectra are observed for bilirubin bound to the α‐helical and β‐sheet conformation of poly‐l‐lysine, which differ from that observed for the pigment bound to human serum albumin. The CD pattern observed on binding to N‐acetyl‐Lys‐N1‐methylamide in CH2Cl2 and dioxane is different from that observed in the presence of l‐Ala‐NH‐(CH2)6‐NH‐l‐Ala in dioxane. The latter case resembles the spectrum observed in the presence of human serum albumin. Binding to the helical polypeptide melittin and the antiparallel β‐sheet peptide, gramicidin S, in aqueous solutions results in opposite signs of the bilirubin CD bands. The quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in melittin, in aqueous solution and enhancement of bilirubin fluorescence in dioxane on binding to gramicidin S have been used to monitor pigment‐peptide interactions. The results suggest the utility of bilirubin as a conformational probe.

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