Aromatic Tris-amidines. A new class of highly active inhibitors of trypsin-like proteases.

A number of novel aromatic Tris-amidines have been synthesized and investigated for their antiproteolytic property. The basic structure of the compounds is that of mesitylene where each of the methyl groups has been substituted with a 3- or 4-amidinophenoxy moiety. The compounds displayed considerable activity against trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) and thrombin (EC 3.4.21.5), but proved most effective against porcine pancreatic kallikrein (EC 3.4.21.8). With this enzyme a Ki value of 2.43-10(-8) M was recorded for alpha,alpha',alpha''-tris(4-amidino-2-bromophenoxy)mesitylene at pH 8.1 and 37 degrees C. The most potent thrombin inhibitor, alpha,alpha',alpha''-tris(3-amidinophenoxy)mesitylene, had a Ki value of 6.51-10(-7) M and was also a strong overall anticoagulant. The inhibitors were able to interfere with the kinin release by human plasma kallikrein at concentrations as low as 1-10(-10) M. However, despite this remarkable antikallikrein effect and the known importance of plasma kallikrein in the activation of Hageman factor (factor XII), the compounds had only little influence on the early stages of blood coagulation.