Solid-Phase Synthesis of Oligoester Ion Channels

A simple synthesis of oligoesters from TBDMS-protected-β- and THP-protected-ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids using a solid-phase synthesis protocol is reported. Procedures were optimized for the efficient production of ion channel candidates in high purity with minimal purification. The product oligoesters were evaluated for ion transport activity using a fluorescent dye/vesicle assay. Oligoesters produced by this strategy show structure-dependent activity; the most active compounds are closely comparable to previously known oligoesters, but are available at a fraction of the synthetic effort.