Small-molecule inhibitor: NCO-700

Name

Common name: NCO-700
Other names: bis[ethyl(2R, 3R)-3-[(S)-methyl-1-[4-(2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl-methyl) piperazin-1-ylcarbonyl] butyl-carbonyl]oxiran-2-carboxylate]sulfate

Peptidases inhibited: Cysteine peptidases inhibited include cathepsin B and forms of calpain, presumably including calpain-1 and calpain-2 (Takano et al., 1991).
Mechanism: NCO-700 is a 4-trimethoxyphenyl-substituted epoxide-piperazine that is a membrane-permeable inhibitor of cysteine proteases, perhaps with quite low specificity.
Pharmaceutical relevance: NCO-700 has been reported to be effective in experimental models of ischemic damage to the myocardium (Iizuka et al., 1992), although negative reactions have also been reported (Shibata et al., 1997). It may also have promise as an anti-cancer agent (Eilon et al. 2000).

CID at PubChem: 6917748
Structure
Chemical/biochemical name: ethyl (2R,3R)-3-[[(2S)-4-methyl-1-oxo-1-[4-[(2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl)methyl]piperazin-1-yl]pentan-2-yl]carbamoyl]oxirane-2-carboxylate; sulfuric acid
Formula weight: 1141

Toxicity: Studies in rodents and dogs, as well as a Phase I study in humans, showed NCO-700 to be a well-tolerated, non-toxic compound ( <%Eilon %etal 2000[20100310A067]%>).