A broadly based investigation of the effects of a diverse array of substituents on the photochemical rearrangement of p-hydroxyphenacyl esters has demonstrated that common substituents such as F, MeO, CN, CO2R, CONH2, and CH3 have little effect on the rate and quantum efficiencies for the photo-Favorskii rearrangement and the release of the acid leaving group or on the lifetimes of the reactive triplet state. A decrease in the quantum yields across all substituents was observed for the release and rearrangement when the photolyses were carried out in buffered aqueous media at pHs that exceeded the ground-state pKa of the chromophore where the conjugate base is the predominant form. Otherwise, substituents have only a very modest effect on the photoreaction of these robust chromophores.

An alanine scan was performed on the novel kappa opioid receptor (KOR) peptide ligand CJ-15,208 to determine which residues contribute to the potent in vivo agonist activity observed for the parent peptide. These cyclic tetrapeptides were synthesized by a combination of solid phase peptide synthesis of the linear precursors, followed by cyclization in solution. Like the parent peptide, each of the analogs exhibited agonist activity and KOR antagonist activity in an antinociceptive assay in vivo. Unlike the parent peptide, the agonist activity of the potent analogs was mediated predominantly if not exclusively by mu opioid receptors (MOR). Thus analogs 2 and 4, in which one of the phenylalanine residues was replaced by alanine, exhibited both potent MOR agonist activity and KOR antagonist activity in vivo. These peptides represent novel lead compounds for the development of peptide-based opioid analgesics.