Design and synthesis of a new class of conformationally constrained inhibitors to probe the active sites of thermolysine and neutral endopeptidase 24.11

The design as well as the synthesis, resolution, and biological evaluation of the neutral endopeptidase 24.11 inhibitors, (1S,2R,5S)-(−)-[(2-mercapto-5-phenyl-cyclopentanecarbonyl)-amino]-acetic acid and (1R,2S,5R)-(+)-[(2-mercapto-5-phenyl-cyclopentanecarbonyl)-amino]-acetic acid are described.