NOVEL EPOXYSUCCINYL PEPTIDES - A SELECTIVE INHIBITOR OF CATHEPSIN-B, INVIVO

New derivatives of E-64 (compound CA-030 and CA-074) were tested in vitro and in vivo for selective inhibition of cathepsin B. They exhibited 10 000-30 000 times greater inhibitory effects on purified rat cathepsin B than on cathepsin H and L: their initial K(i) values for cathepsin B were about 2-5 nM, like that of E-64-c, whereas their initial K(i) values for cathepsins H and L were about 40-200-mu-M. In in vivo conditions, such as intraperitoneal injection of compound CA-030 or CA-074 into rats, compound CA-074 is an especially potent selective inhibitor of cathepsin B, whereas compound CA-030 does not show selectivity for cathepsin B, although both compounds CA-030 and CA-074 show complete selectivity for cathepsin B in vitro.