Fluorine Scan of Inhibitors of the Cysteine Protease Human Cathepsin L: Dipolar and Quadrupolar Effects in the π-Stacking of Fluorinated Phenyl Rings on Peptide Amide Bonds
the S3 pocket, was systematically fluorinated, and differences in inhibitory potency were measured in a fluorimetric assay. Binding affinity is influenced by lipophilicity (clog P), the dipole and quadrupole moments of the fluorinated rings, but also by additional interactions of the introduced fluorine atoms with the local environment of the pocket. Generally, the higher the degree of fluorination