Stereoselective synthesis of a conformationally defined cyclohexyl carnitine analogue that binds CPT-1 with high affinity

Carnitine (1, 3-hydroxy-4-trimethylammoniobutyrate) is important in mammalian tissue as a carrier of acyl groups. In order to explore the binding requirements of the carnitine acyltransferases for carnitine, we designed conformationally defined cyclohexyl carnitine analogues. These diastereomers contain the required gauche conformation between the trimethylammonium and hydroxy groups but vary the conformation between the hydroxy and carboxylic acid groups. Here we describe the synthesis and biological activity of the all-trans diastereomer (2), which was prepared by the ring opening of trans-methyl 2,3-epoxycylohexanecarboxylate with NaN3. Racemic 2 was a competitive inhibitor of neonatal rat cardiac myocyte CPT-1 (K(i) 0.5 mM for racemic 2; K(m) 0.2 mM for L-carnitine) and a noncompetitive inhibitor of neonatal rat cardiac myocyte CPT-2 (K(i) 0.67 mM). These results suggest that 2 represents the bound conformation of carnitine for CPT-1.