The development of effective and safe neuroprotective drugs for the treatment of ischemic stroke remains an urgent unmet need. Cationic arginine-rich peptides (CARPs) are a novel class of neuroprotective agents that combine different properties that provide neuroprotective effects in the treatment of ischemic stroke. The guanidine group in arginine forms double-dentate hydrogen bonds with the negatively charged carboxyl, sulfate, and phosphate groups of proteins, mucopolysaccharides, and cell membrane phospholipids. They are highly anti-excitotoxic and anti-inflammatory neuroprotective effectiveness, interfere with calcium influx into the cell, stabilize mitochondria, inhibit protein hydrolytic enzymes, induce survival signaling, and reduce oxidative stress.
Fig. 1. Schematic representation of CARP neuroprotective mechanisms of action. (Meloni et al., 2020)
Ace Therapeutics is a stroke-focused CRO with extensive expertise in the development of neuroprotective peptides. Our multidisciplinary team consists of leading medicinal chemists and pharmacologists with in-depth knowledge of peptide synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and drug development processes. We are your trusted partner in providing comprehensive services for the development of arginine-rich peptides for stroke.
We can perform high-throughput screening of peptide libraries containing more than thousands of different peptides. Our peptide synthesis laboratories are equipped with advanced instrumentation to synthesize CARPs with precision and efficiency. Since CARPs with different amino acid sequences or modifications will have different physicochemical and biological properties, we also provide customized new CARPs with more targeted molecular mechanisms of action to improve stroke outcomes.
Our experts consider factors such as peptide length, charge, secondary structure, and arginine distribution to design protocols that optimize the ability of peptides to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and exert neuroprotective effects. We adhere to stringent quality control measures to ensure the purity, stability, and reproducibility of our synthetic peptides.
Our in vitro and in vivo evaluation platforms include advanced imaging systems, electrophysiological recording devices, and behavioral neuroscience equipment to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of arginine-rich peptides.
Ace Therapeutics collaborates with academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies to help them design, synthesize, optimize, and evaluate neuroprotective arginine-rich peptides. If you are interested in our services, please do not hesitate to contact us!
We are committed to accelerating progress in stroke research and drug development.