Z-Phe-Phe-Phe-OH

Z-Phe-Phe-Phe-OH is a tripeptide that can act as a membrane fusion inhibitor, interacting with the cell membrane or viral envelope, interfering with the fusion process of the lipid bilayer, thereby preventing the virus from entering the host cell or inhibiting cell-to-cell fusion^{[1, 2]}. Z-Phe-Phe-Phe-OH is composed of three phenylalanine (Phe) residues connected in sequence by peptide bonds and has a benzyloxycarbonyl (Z-) protecting group at the N-terminus. Phenylalanine is an aromatic amino acid with a benzyl ring in its side chain, which makes it highly hydrophobic and rigid^[3]. The introduction of the benzyloxycarbonyl protecting group provides additional stability to the tripeptide, making it less likely to degrade during the experiment^[4]. The molecular formula of this product is C₃₅H₃₅N₃O₆ and the molecular weight is 593.68.

References:
[1] Zheng C, Zhong Q, Song W, et al. Membrane‐Fusion‐Mediated Multiplex Engineering of Tumor Cell Surface Glycans for Enhanced NK Cell Therapy[J]. Advanced Materials, 2023, 35(14): 2206989.
[2] Kong H, Zheng C, Yi K, et al. An antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome for effective intracellular delivery in vivo[J]. Nature Communications, 2024, 15(1): 4267.
[3] Das T, Häring M, Haldar D, et al. Phenylalanine and derivatives as versatile low-molecular-weight gelators: Design, structure and tailored function[J]. Biomaterials science, 2018, 6(1): 38-59.
[4] Bochet C G. Photolabile protecting groups and linkers[J]. Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1, 2002 (2): 125-142.