Molecular Capture and Conformational Change of Diketopiperazines Containing Proline Residues by Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate in Water.

The addition of an aqueous solution of diketopiperazine cyclo(Pro-Xxx) (Xxx: amino acid residue) to an aqueous solution of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCg) led to precipitation of the complex of EGCg and cyclo(Pro-Xxx). The molecular capture abilities of cyclo(Pro-Xxx) using EGCg were evaluated by the ratio of the amount of cyclo(Pro-Xxx) included in the precipitates of the complex with EGCg to that of the total cyclo(Pro-Xxx) used. Stronger hydrophobicity of the side chain of the amino acid residue of cyclo(Pro-Xxx) led to a higher molecular capture ability. Furthermore, the molecular capture ability decreased when the side chain of the amino acid residue had a hydrophilic hydroxyl group. When diketopiperazine cyclo(Pro-Xxx), excluding cyclo(D-Pro-L-Ala), was taken into the hydrophobic space formed by the three aromatic A, B, and B' rings of EGCg, and formed a complex, their conformation was maintained in the hydrophobic space. Based on nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) measurement, the 3-position methyl group of cyclo(D-Pro-L-Ala) in DO was axial, whereas that of cyclo(L-Pro-L-Ala) was equatorial. When cyclo(D-Pro-L-Ala) was taken into the hydrophobic space of EGCg and formed a 2 : 2 complex, its 3-position methyl group changed from the axial position to the equatorial position due to steric hindrance by EGCg.