Conformational analysis of non-sulfonylurea hypoglycemic agents of the meglitinide family.

Non-sulfonylurea hypoglycemic agents of the meglitinide family such as S3075, repaglinide, KAD-1229, and A-4166, were found to display a comparable U-shaped conformation by molecular modelling, with hydrophobic cycles placed at the extremity of each branch and a peptidic bond placed at the bottom of the U. A comparable conformation was observed with the hypoglycemic sulfonylureas glibenclamide and glimepiride. A different conformation with a greater distance between the hydrophobic cycles at the extremity of each branch was found, however, with the biologically inactive enantiomers of A-4166 and repaglinide and the poorly efficient insulinotropic agent meglitinide. The identification of a common conformation of these hypoglycemic agents may help in the design of highly active compounds and provide an imprint of their postulated target receptor on the pancreatic B-cell plasma membrane.