Novel derivatives of fatty acid analogs that have from one to three heteroatoms in the fatty acid moiety which can be oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, are disclosed in which the carboxy-terminus has been modified to form various amides, esters, ketones, alcohols, alcohol esters and nitriles thereof. These compounds are useful as substrates for N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) and/or its acyl coenzyme, and as anti-viral and anti-fungal agents or pro-drugs of such agents. Illustrative of the disclosed compounds are fatty acid amino acid analogs of the structure ##STR1## in which X is the ethyl or t-butyl ester of an amino acid such as Gly, L--Ala, L--Ile, L--Phe, L--Trp, L--Thr or an amide such as NHCH.sub.2 C.sub.6 H.sub.5 or NH(CH.sub.2).sub.2 C.sub.6 H.sub.5,
The present invention provides compounds and methods for the treatment of diseases or disorders such as heart failure, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, gonadotropin deficiency, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, obesity, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and cancer.
Cationic-amphiphilic 2-substituted histamines activate pertussis toxin-sensitive guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) by a receptor-independent mechanism. From our recent studies it became apparent that lipophilicity is an important determinant for this G-protein activation, but the influence of basicity remained unknown. We prepared seven novel 2-alkyl-substituted histamines and five novel 2-alkyl-substituted hydroxyethylimidazoles and studied their effects on high-affinity guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis in membranes of the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. 2-Octylhistamine was found to be the most effective GTPase activator among 2-substituted histamines presently available (150% stimulation above basal), and 2-tetradecylhistamine is the most potent substance in this regard (pEC(50) = 5.9). Branching of the alkyl chain and the introduction of an ether group adversely affected GTPase activation. Compared to a phenyl ring, a bulky adamantyl sphere enhanced G-protein-stimulatory activity. In the case of 2-(3-bromophenyl)histamine, 2-adamantylhistamine and 2-(3-phenylpropyl)histamine, replacement of the aminoethyl group by a hydroxyethyl group at the imidazole greatly reduced GTPase-activating properties, pointing to the importance of the basic domain in the activation process. Unexpectedly, however, in the case of a very lipophilic substituent (heptadecyl chain) the exchange of the aminoethyl group by a hydroxyethyl group had no substantial inhibitory effect, indicating that the presence of a primary amine is not a conditio sine qua non for a substance being a receptor-independent G-protein activator. Concerning histamine H-1-receptors the newly prepared compounds proved to be weak antagonists.