Biaryl-Bridged Macrocyclic Peptides: Conformational Constraint via Carbogenic Fusion of Natural Amino Acid Side Chains

A general method for constraining peptide conformations via linkage of aromatic sidechains has been developed. Macrocyclization of suitably functionalized tri-, tetra- and pentapeptides via Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling has been used to generate side chain to side chain, biaryl-bridged 14- to 21-membered macrocyclic peptides. Biaryl bridges possessing three different configurations, meta–meta, meta–ortho, and ortho–meta, were systematically explored through regiochemical variation of the aryl halide and aryl boronate coupling partners, allowing fine-tuning of the resultant macrocycle conformation. Suzuki–Miyaura macrocyclizations were successfully achieved both in solution and on solid phase for all three sizes of peptide. This approach constitutes a means of constraining peptide conformation via direct carbogenic fusion of side chains of naturally occurring amino acids such as phenylalanine and tyrosine, and so is complementary to strategies involving non-natural, for example, hydrocarbon, bridges.