LIPOPHILICITY OF AMINO-ACIDS

The lipophilicity (or hydrophobicity) of amino acids is an important p roperty relevant for protein folding and therefore of great interest i n protein engineering. For peptides or peptidomimetics of potential th erapeutic interest, lipophilicity is related to absorption and distrib ution, and thus indirectly relates to their bioactivity. A rationaliza tion of peptide lipophilicity requires basic knowledge of the lipophil icity of the constituting amino acids. In the present contribution we will review methods to measure or calculate the lipophilicities of ami no acids, including unusual amino acids, and we will make a comparison between various lipophilicity scales.