Twenty-five naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenes, 15 of which were synthesized in this study, were biologically evaluated as inhibitors of rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase a (GPa). From SAR studies, the presence of a sugar moiety in triterpene saponins resulted in a markedly decreased activity ( 7, 18- 20) or no activity ( 21, 22). These saponins, however, might find their value as potential natural prodrugs which are much more water-soluble than their corresponding aglycones. To elucidate the mechanism of GP inhibition, we have determined the crystal structures of the GPb-asiatic acid and GPb-maslinic acid complexes. The X-ray analysis indicates that the inhibitors bind at the allosteric activator site, where the physiological activator AMP binds. Pentacyclic triterpenes represent a promising class of multiple-target antidiabetic agents that exert hypoglycemic effects, at least in part, through GP inhibition.

The protein glycogen phosphorylase has been linked to type 2 diabetes, indicating the importance of this target to human health. Hence, the search for potent and selective inhibitors of this enzyme, which may lead to antihyperglycaemic drugs, has received particular attention. Glycogen phosphorylase is a typical allosteric protein with five different ligand binding sites, thus offering multiple opportunities for modulation of enzyme activity. The present survey is focused on recent new molecules, potential inhibitors of the enzyme. The biological activity can be modified by these molecules through direct binding, allosteric effects or other structural changes. Progress in our understanding of the mechanism of action of these inhibitors has been made by the determination of high-resolution enzyme inhibitor structures (both muscle and liver). The knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of protein-ligand complexes allows analysis of how the ligands interact with the target and has the potential to facilitate structure-based drug design. In this review, the synthesis, structure determination and computational studies of the most recent inhibitors of glycogen phosphorylase at the different binding sites are presented and analyzed.

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