Synthesis of Inhibitors of Cysteine Protease

Abstract

Protozoa which cause diseases such as Malaria, Chagas’ disease or Sleeping sickness contains cysteine proteases. These enzymes are important in the cycle life of parasites. Inhibitors of cysteine proteases represent a way to find new drugs against these tropical infectious diseases. Lately, several inhibitors for this type of proteases were developed. In this work, a dipeptidyl nitrolkene has been synthetized, with a new modification in the chemical structure: isonicotinyl as a protecting group. This compound is expected to display a high inhibition activity against cysteine proteases.