Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a potential long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog

By binding to its receptor, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) plays various physiological roles, including activating glucose-dependent insulin secretion, inhibiting gastric emptying, and reducing appetite. This suite of activities makes GLP-1 and its analogs an attractive choice for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus in the context of overweight or obesity. This study used different types and lengths of fatty acids to design dual fatty acid side chains for GLP-1 receptor agonists including decanoic, dodecanoic, tetradecanoic, hexadecanoic, dodecanedioic, tetradecanedioic, hexadecanedioic, and octadecanedioic acids. Sixteen GLP-1 receptor agonists (conjugates 13–28) with dual fatty acid side chains were obtained by liquid-phase synthesis. After structural confirmation using high-resolution mass spectrometry, peptide mapping, and circular dichroism, the biological activities of the conjugates were screened. First, the conjugates were screened for albumin binding and activity in GLP-1R-CRE-bla CHO-K1 cells. Albumin binding results suggested a synergistic effect between the two fatty acids in the conjugates. Next, conjugates 18, 19, and 21 selected after primary screening were assessed for receptor affinity, activity in INS-1 cells, plasma stability across different species, and efficacy and pharmacokinetics in normal and db/db mice. One candidate (conjugate 19) was found to have albumin binding of >99 %, good receptor affinity, activities of INS-1 cells, and plasma stability. We found that cellular activities in GLP-1R-CRE-bla CHO-K1 cells and pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics in normal and db/db mice for conjugate 19 were superior to those of semaglutide.