Conformational preferences of [Leu5]enkephalin in biomimetic media

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Abstract
The conformation of [Leu5]enkephalin has been studied by 1H-NMR spectroscopy in media more like the actual environment in which the agonist-receptor interaction takes place than water, i.e. in three cryoprotective mixtures (dimethylformamide/water, methanol/water and ethylene glycol/water), in aqueous SDS and in two neat solvents, dimethylformamide and acetonitrile, whose dielectric constants (36.7 and 37.5) are intermediate between that of water and that of the lipid phase. In all cases examined, contrary to the studies in water or dimethylsulfoxide, we were able to detect numerous nuclear Overhauser effects, indicating that the media employed favour well-defined structures and/or reduce the internal motions of the peptide. Data from both organic solvents and cryoprotective mixtures suggest a 4 .fwdarw. 1 .beta. turn as the most probable structure of [Leu5]enkephalin in solution, whereas in SDS/H2O micelles the structural picture appears completely different, suggesting the presence of a 5 .fwdarw. 2 .beta. turn. The existence of two different preferred conformations of enkephalins may possibly be related to their ability to be effective towards both .mu. and .delta. opioid receptors.