Synthesis and conformational study of two cyclic analogues of somatostatin containing an AMPA‐spacer unit

Abstract
Two cyclic somatostatin analogues containing the active sequence Phe7-D-Trp8-Lys9-Thr10 and a meta- or para-(aminomethyl) phenylacetic acid (AMPA) spacer unit, have been synthesized. A conformational study using 2D n.m.r. techniques (COSY, NOESY) reveals that the conformation of the meta-AMPA analogue has some analogy with the bio-active conformation proposed earlier by Veber and colleagues, while in the para-AMPA analogue an equilibrium exists between a beta-II' turn and a gamma-turn structure. Both analogues show no GH-inhibition or LH-inhibition in in vitro assays.