Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease resulting from elevated blood glucose levels. Arising for various reasons, diabetes affects 8.3% of the US population and has become a growing epidemic. During the summer of 2013, a compound with potential antimicrobial properties was synthesized in the Ippoliti lab. After showing no antimicrobial activity, the compound was sent for testing at Eli Lilly Open Innovation Drug Discovery and was found to have a strong effect in stimulating the release of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is a peptide capable of lowering high blood glucose levels by increasing the body’s response to insulin. By modifying various functional groups of the original structure, the current study aimed to determine the functionally active substituents and maximize the compound’s biological effects on GLP-1, with the intent of creating a novel GLP-1 stimulant. Thus far, ten analogs have been synthesized using a three- or four-step synthetic scheme. Full characterization of each new compound was performed using nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The analogs will be sent to Eli Lilly for testing of their biological effects.

Synthesis of novel GLP-1 stimulants

249th National Meeting (2015)

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