Synthesis of N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-cysteinylglycine 3-dimethylaminopropylamide disulfide: a cheap and convenient new assay for trypanothione reductase.

Trypanothione disulfide [N1,N8-bis(glutathionyl)-spermidine], the physiological substrate for the chemotherapeutic target enzyme trypanothione reductase, is difficult to isolate, expensive to buy, and awkward to synthesize. Here we describe the straightforward synthesis of N,N'-bis(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-cysteinylglycyl-3-dimethylaminopropylam ide disulfide, which is shown to be a good alternative substrate for the trypanothione reductases from Crithidia fasciculata and Trypanosoma cruzi.