The synthesis and preliminary activity assay in vitro of peptide-like derivatives as APN inhibitors.

Both the aminopeptidase N (APN) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) are essential metallopeptidases in the development of tumor invasion and angiogenesis. A series of novel peptide-like derivatives were designed and synthesized as antitumor agents. Their structures were confirmed by IR, MS, and (1)H-NMR. These compounds exhibited potent inhibitory activities against APN and low activity against MMP in vitro. The derivatives with methoxy group show better activities than those with other substituted group and could be used as lead compounds for exploring new APN inhibitors in the future.