A new method for the synthesis of succinyl sulfinyl chlorides was appl
ied to the preparation of sulfonamide peptide mimics of MMP inhibitors
. Sulfonamide mimics were determined to be active against MMPs and rep
resent promising new leads for further optimization. Urea mimics were
also prepared and found to be unstable and prone to hydantoin formatio
n in protic media. (C) 1997 The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company. P
ublished by Elsevier Science Ltd.