Synthesis of angiotensin II antagonists containing N- and O-methylated and other amino acid residues.

[1-N-Methylisoasparagine,8-isoleucine]- (I), [1-sarcosine,4-N-methyltyrosine,8-isoleucine]- (II), [1-sarcosine,5-N-methylisoleucine,8-isoleucine]- (III), [1-sarcosine,8-N-methylisoleucine]- (IV), [1-sarcosine8k-N-methylisoleucine,8-N-methylisoleucine]- (V), [1-sarcosine,8-O-methylthreonine]- (VI), [1-sarcosine,8-methionine]- (VII), and [1-sarcosine,8-serine]angiotensin II (VIII), synthesized by Merrifield's solid-phase procedure, possess respectively 0.8, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 0.0, 0.5, 3.7, and 0.7% pressor activity of angiotensin II (vagotomized, ganglion-blocked rats). They caused an initial rise in blood pressure (30 min of infusion, 250 ng/kg/min in vagotomized, ganglion-blocked rats) of 16.57, 9.80, 22.80, 32.00, 7.00, 15.06, 32.50, and 11.42 mmHg and showed secretory activity (isolated cat adrenal medulla) of 1.0, 0.1, 0.01, 0.1, less than 0.01, 0.1, less than 0.01, and 0.05% of angiotensin II. On isolated organs pA2 values (rabbit aortic strips) of 8.74, 7.44, 7.64, 7.85, 7.89, 8.76, 8.63, and 8.08, and pA2 values (cat adrenal medulla of 8.16, 9.16, 9.31, 8.00, 8.00, 7.00, 9.16, and 9.33 were obtained. Dose ratios (ratio of ED20 of angiotensin II during infusion of the antagonist and before infusion of the antagonist) in vagotomized, ganglion-blocked rats, infused at 250 ng/kg/min, were 33.43, 2.14, 3.26, 2.99, 0.62, 62.52, incalculable, and 11.15, respectively. The results obtained suggest that (a) analogs I and VI are potent antagonists of the pressor response of angiotensin II in normal rat, VI being the most potent antagonist thus far synthesized; (b) replacement of position 4 (Tyr) with MeTyr or position 5 and/or 8 (Ile) with Melle in [1-sarcosine,8-isoleucine]angiotensin II reduced the antagonist activity of this peptide (rabbit aortic strips and rats), indicating that steric hindrance imposed due to N-methylation in positions 4, 5, or 8 was not favorable in eliminating the initial pressor activity or prolonging the duration of action of [Sar1, Ile8]angiotensin II without reducing its antagonistic properties; (c) except II, none of the analogs showed any enhanced duration of action, suggesting that N-methylation in positions 5 or 8 did not afford protection against proteolytic enzymes; and (d) perfusion studies in cat adrenals indicated that all of these analogs are only very weak secretagogues. With the exception of [Sar1,Thr(ObetaMe)8]angiotensin II, which gave lower antagonistic properties, all other analogs had either similar antagonistic properties or were better antagonists in adrenal medulla than in smooth muscle.