Glucose Conjugates Research Articles

Ultrahigh pressure promotes colorless bovine serum albumin-glucose conjugates generation

Abstract Browning generation always limits the application of protein-carbohydrate conjugates. In the present study, we found that ultrahigh pressure can promote bovine serum albumin (BSA)-glucose conjugation without browning generation. BSA-glucose conjugates were fabricated at 120, 240 and 360 MPa for 4 h. The intermediate products, browning intensity, glucose concentration and secondary structure of conjugates were tested. Results suggested that BSA-glucose conjugates were generated at pressures of 240 and 360 MPa with significant increase of absorbance at 294 nm (Abs294) from 0.88 to 0.93 and 1.17, and marked consumption of glucose to 87 and 85%. While, insignificant change was found in browning (Abs420) or the secondary structure of BSA during conjugates formation with 40–42% α-helix, 5–10% β-sheet and 21–23% β-turns. Near no BSA-glucose conjugates were formed at lower pressure of 120 MPa. This study indicated that ultrahigh pressure is a potential method to generate colorless BSA-glucose conjugates. Industrial Relevance The color generation is a serious problem limiting the industrial application of protein-carbohydrate conjugates. There is nearly no report about inhibiting the color formation during fabricating protein-carbohydrate conjugates. Our study suggested an effective method to fabricate colorless BSA-glucose conjugates, which may provide potential improvement in food processing.

Methyl jasmonate elicits the biotransformation of geraniol stored as its glucose conjugate into methyl geranate in Achyranthes bidentata plant

To investigate the biotransformation pathway of airborne geraniol by Achyranthes bidentata (A. bidentata), deuterium labeled geraniol was applied with or without methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and the biosynthesized metabolites were analyzed. In A. bidentata leaves, geraniol was conjugated with glucose. The conjugate was then metabolized to afford methyl geranate only under MeJA elicitation. MeJA elicits the biotransformation of geraniol into methyl geranate by inducing the conversion of the intermediate, glucose conjugate of geraniol.

Chemical Approach to Positional Isomers of Glucose-Platinum Conjugates Reveals Specific Cancer Targeting through Glucose-Transporter-Mediated Uptake in Vitro and in Vivo.

Glycoconjugation is a promising strategy for specific targeting of cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of d-glucose substitution position on the biological activity of glucose-platinum conjugates (Glc-Pts). We synthesized and characterized all possible positional isomers (C1α, C1β, C2, C3, C4, and C6) of a Glc-Pt. The synthetic routes presented here could, in principle, be extended to prepare glucose conjugates with different active ingredients, other than platinum. The biological activities of the compounds were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. We discovered that varying the position of substitution of d-glucose alters not only the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity profile but also the GLUT1 specificity of resulting glycoconjugates, where GLUT1 is glucose transporter 1. The C1α- and C2-substituted Glc-Pts (1α and 2) accumulate in cancer cells most efficiently compared to the others, whereas the C3-Glc-Pt (3) is taken up least efficiently. Compounds 1α and 2 are more potent compared to 3 in DU145 cells. The α- and β-anomers of the C1-Glc-Pt also differ significantly in their cellular uptake and activity profiles. No significant differences in uptake of the Glc-Pts were observed in non-cancerous RWPE2 cells. The GLUT1 specificity of the Glc-Pts was evaluated by determining the cellular uptake in the absence and in the presence of the GLUT1 inhibitor cytochalasin B, and by comparing their anticancer activity in DU145 cells and a GLUT1 knockdown cell line. The results reveal that C2-substituted Glc-Pt 2 has the highest GLUT1-specific internalization, which also reflects the best cancer-targeting ability. In a syngeneic breast cancer mouse model overexpressing GLUT1, compound 2 showed antitumor efficacy and selective uptake in tumors with no observable toxicity. This study thus reveals the synthesis of all positional isomers of d-glucose substitution for platinum warheads with detailed glycotargeting characterization in cancer.

Pathway-specific inhibition of primaquine metabolism by chloroquine/quinine.

BackgroundThere has been some evidence to suggest that the addition of chloroquine (CQ) or quinine (QN) to 8-aminoquinoline (8-AQ) treatment regimens may increase the therapeutic efficacy of the 8-AQ and simultaneously mitigate against its haemolytic toxicity. However, both CQ and QN are considered effective, although perhaps moderate inhibitors of CYP2D6, an enzyme now regarded as necessary for primaquine (PQ) pharmacologic activity. An understanding of the influence of CQ and QN on the metabolism of PQ may shed light on the potential mechanisms of the beneficial interaction.MethodsDifferential metabolism of PQ enantiomers by recombinant human CYP2D6, monoamine oxidase A (MAO), and cryopreserved human hepatocytes in the presence/absence of CQ and QN.ResultsBoth CQ and QN significantly inhibited the activity of CYP2D6. PQ depletion by MAO and human hepatocytes was not affected significantly by the presence of CQ and QN. CYP2D6-mediated hydroxylation was largely suppressed by both CQ and QN. The formation of the primary deaminated metabolites, including carboxyprimaquine (CPQ) and cyclized side chain derivative from the aldehyde (m/z 241), was not sensitive to the presence of CQ and QN. However, the appearance of the glucuronides of CPQ and PQ alcohol were significantly suppressed. CQ and QN also inhibited the appearance of the m/z 257 metabolite with a similar pattern, suggesting that it may be derived from the CPQ conjugate. The apparent quinone-imine of CPQ (m/z 289) was only partially suppressed by both QN and CQ, but with a differential pattern of inhibition for the two drugs. The m/z 274 (quinone-imine of a ring-hydroxylated PQ metabolite) and m/z 422 (an apparent glucose conjugate of PQ) metabolites in hepatocytes were strongly suppressed by both QN and CQ, perhaps a reflection of the 2D6 inhibition by these drugs. The formation of the carbamoyl glucuronide of PQ (m/z 480) was not affected by CQ/QN.ConclusionThe metabolite-specific interactions in the current studies seem at variance with earlier reports of the dependence of PQ on CYP2D6 metabolism, and enhanced PQ anti-malarial activity/reduced toxicity in the presence of CQ/QN. These results suggest a complex picture in which CQ/QN may shift metabolite pathway balances towards a profile that retains efficacy, while reducing the formation or availability of toxic metabolites to erythrocytes. Alternatively, these drugs may alter transport or distribution of PQ metabolites in a fashion that reduces toxicity while maintaining efficacy against the parasite.

Targeted Delivery and Sustained Antitumor Activity of Triptolide through Glucose Conjugation.

Triptolide, a key ingredient from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant thunder god vine, which has been used to treat inflammation and autoimmune diseases for centuries, has been shown to be an irreversible inhibitor of the XPB subunit of the transcription factor TFIIH and initiation of RNA polymerase II mediated transcription. The clinical development of triptolide over the past two decades has been limited by its toxicity and low water solubility. Herein, we report the development of a glucose conjugate of triptolide, named glutriptolide, which was intended to target tumor cells overexpressing glucose transporters selectively. Glutriptolide did not inhibit XPB activity in vitro but demonstrated significantly higher cytotoxicity against tumor cells over normal cells with greater water solubility than triptolide. Furthermore, it exhibited remarkable tumor control in vivo, which is likely due to sustained stepwise release of active triptolide within cancer cells. These findings indicate that glutriptolide may serve as a promising lead for developing a new mechanistic class of anticancer drugs.

Targeted Delivery and Sustained Antitumor Activity of Triptolide through Glucose Conjugation

AbstractTriptolide, a key ingredient from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant thunder god vine, which has been used to treat inflammation and autoimmune diseases for centuries, has been shown to be an irreversible inhibitor of the XPB subunit of the transcription factor TFIIH and initiation of RNA polymerase II mediated transcription. The clinical development of triptolide over the past two decades has been limited by its toxicity and low water solubility. Herein, we report the development of a glucose conjugate of triptolide, named glutriptolide, which was intended to target tumor cells overexpressing glucose transporters selectively. Glutriptolide did not inhibit XPB activity in vitro but demonstrated significantly higher cytotoxicity against tumor cells over normal cells with greater water solubility than triptolide. Furthermore, it exhibited remarkable tumor control in vivo, which is likely due to sustained stepwise release of active triptolide within cancer cells. These findings indicate that glutriptolide may serve as a promising lead for developing a new mechanistic class of anticancer drugs.

UDP‐glycosyltransferase 72B1 catalyzes the glucose conjugation of monolignols and is essential for the normal cell wall lignification in Arabidopsis thaliana

Glycosylation of monolignols has been found to be widespread in land plants since the 1970s. However, whether monolignol glycosylation is crucial for cell wall lignification and how it exerts effects are still unknown. Here, we report the identification of a mutant ugt72b1 showing aggravated and ectopic lignification in floral stems along with arrested growth and anthocyanin accumulation. Histochemical assays and thioacidolysis analysis confirmed the enhanced lignification and increased lignin biosynthesis in the ugt72b1 mutant. The loss of UDP-glycosyltransferase UGT72B1 function was responsible for the lignification phenotype, as demonstrated by complementation experiments. Enzyme activity analysis indicated that UGT72B1 could catalyze the glucose conjugation of monolignols, especially coniferyl alcohol and coniferyl aldehyde, which was confirmed by analyzing monolignol glucosides of UGT72B1 transgenic plants. Furthermore, the UGT72B1 gene was strongly expressed in young stem tissues, especially xylem tissues. However, UGT72B1 paralogs, such as UGT72B2 and UGT72B3, had weak enzyme activity toward monolignols and weak expression in stem tissues. Transcriptomic profiling showed that UGT72B1 knockout resulted in extensively increased transcript levels of genes involved in monolignol biosynthesis, lignin polymerization and cell wall-related transcription factors, which was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR assays. These results provided evidence that monolignol glucosylation catalyzed by UGT72B1 was essential for normal cell wall lignification, thus offering insight into the molecular mechanism of cell wall development and cell wall lignification.

The chemomodulatory effects of glufosfamide on docetaxel cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells.

Background. Glufosfamide (GLU) is a glucose conjugate of ifosfamide in which isophosphoramide mustard is glycosidically linked to the β-D-glucose molecule. Based on GLU structure, it is considered a targeted chemotherapy with fewer side effects. The main objective of the current study is to assess the cytotoxic potential of GLU for the first time in prostate cancer (PC) cells representing different stages of the tumor. Furthermore, this study examined the potential synergistic activity of GLU in combination with docetaxel (DOC).Methods. Two different cell lines were used, LNCaP and PC-3. Concentration-response curves were assessed. The tested groups per cell line were, control, GLU, DOC and combination. Treatment duration was 72 h. Cytotoxicity was assessed using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. Synergy analyses were performed using Calcusyn®software. Subsequent mechanistic studies included β-glucosidase activity assay, glucose uptake and apoptosis studies, namely annexin V-FITC assay and the protein expression of mitochondrial pathway signals including Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase 9 and 3 were assessed. Data are presented as mean ± SD; comparisons were carried out using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey-Kramer’s test for post hoc analysis.Results. GLU induced cytotoxicity in both cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 in PC-3 cells was significantly lower by 19% when compared to that of LNCaP cells. The IC50 of combining both drugs showed comparable effect to DOC in PC-3 but was tremendously lowered by 49% compared to the same group in LNCaP cell line. β-glucosidase activity was higher in LNCaP by about 67% compared to that determined in PC-3 cells while the glucose uptake in PC-3 cells was almost 2 folds that found in LNCaP cells. These results were directly correlated to the efficacy of GLU in each cell line. Treatment of PC cells with GLU as single agent or in combination with DOC induced significantly higher apoptosis as evidenced by Annexin V-staining. Apoptosis was significantly increased in combination group by 4.9 folds and by 2.1 Folds when compared to control in LNCaP cells and PC-3 cells; respectively. Similarly, the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased while Bax, caspase 9 and 3 were significantly increased in the combined treatment groups compared to the control.Conclusion. GLU has a synergistic effect in combination with DOC as it increases the cell kill which can be attributed at least partially to apoptosis in both the tested cell lines and it is suggested as a new combination regimen to be considered in the treatment of the prostate cancer. Further experiments and clinical investigations are needed for assessment of that regimen.

Antioxidative, Antibacterial, and Food Functional Properties of the Half-Fin Anchovy Hydrolysates-Glucose Conjugates Formed via Maillard Reaction.

The antioxidative, antibacterial, and food functional properties of the half-fin anchovy hydrolysates (HAHp)-glucose conjugates formed by Maillard reaction (MR) were investigated, respectively. Results of sugar and amino acid contents loss rates, browning index, and molecular weight distribution indicated that the initial pH of HAHp played an important role in the process of MR between HAHp and glucose. HAHp-glucose Maillard reaction products (HAHp-G MRPs) demonstrated enhanced antioxidative activities of reducing power and scavenging DPPH radicals compared to control groups. HAHp-G MRPs produced from the condition of pH 9.6 displayed the strongest reducing power. The excellent scavenging activity on DPPH radicals was found for HAHp(5.6)-G MRPs which was produced at pH 5.6. Additionally, HAHp(5.6)-G MRPs showed variable antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, and Sarcina lutea, with the MIC values ranging from 8.3 to 16.7 μg/mL. Result of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on E. coli suggested that HAHp(5.6)-G MRPs exhibited antibacterial activity by destroying the cell integrity through membrane permeabilization. Moreover, HAHp(5.6)-G MRPs had excellent foaming ability and stability at alkaline conditions of pH 8.0, and showed emulsion properties at acidic pH 4.0. These results suggested that specific HAHp-G MRPs should be promising functional ingredients used in foods.

Comparative metabolism of mycophenolic acid by glucuronic acid and glucose conjugation in human, dog, and cat liver microsomes.

Use of the immunosuppressant mycophenolic acid (MPA) in cats is limited because MPA elimination depends on glucuronidation, which is deficient in cats. We evaluated formation of major (phenol glucuronide) and minor (acyl glucuronide, phenol glucoside, and acyl glucoside) MPA metabolites using liver microsomes from 16 cats, 26 dogs, and 48 humans. All MPA metabolites were formed by human liver microsomes, while dog and cat liver microsomes formed both MPA glucuronides, but only one MPA glucoside (phenol glucoside). Intrinsic clearance (CLint) of MPA for phenol glucuronidation by cat liver microsomes was only 15-17% that of dog and human liver microsomes. However, CLint for acyl glucuronide and phenol glucoside formation in cat liver microsomes was similar to or greater than that for dog and human liver microsomes. While total MPA conjugation CLint was generally similar for cat liver microsomes compared with dog and human liver microsomes, relative contributions of each pathway varied between species with phenol glucuronidation predominating in dog and human liver microsomes and phenol glucosidation predominating in cat liver microsomes. MPA conjugation variation between cat liver microsomes was threefold for total conjugation and for phenol glucosidation, sixfold for phenol glucuronidation, and 11-fold for acyl glucuronidation. Our results indicate that total MPA conjugation is quantitatively similar between liver microsomes from cats, dogs, and humans despite large differences in the conjugation pathways that are utilized by these species.

Cellular Internalization of Therapeutic Oligonucleotides by Peptide Amphiphile Nanofibers and Nanospheres.

Oligonucleotides are promising drug candidates due to the exceptionally high specificity they exhibit toward their target DNA and RNA sequences. However, their poor pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, in conjunction with problems associated with their internalization by cells, necessitates their delivery through specialized carrier systems for efficient therapy. Here, we investigate the effects of carrier morphology on the cellular internalization mechanisms of oligonucleotides by using self-assembled fibrous or spherical peptide nanostructures. Size and geometry were both found to be important parameters for the oligonucleotide internalization process; direct penetration was determined to be the major mechanism for the internalization of nanosphere carriers, whereas nanofibers were internalized by clathrin- and dynamin-dependent endocytosis pathways. We further showed that glucose conjugation to carrier nanosystems improved cellular internalization in cancer cells due to the enhanced glucose metabolism associated with oncogenesis, and the internalization of the glucose-conjugated peptide/oligonucleotide complexes was found to be dependent on glucose transporters present on the surface of the cell membrane.

The use of a new functional glucose conjugate material, TPGS1000-Glu, in treatment of brain glioma by incorporating into epirubicin liposomes

The use of a new functional glucose conjugate material, TPGS1000-Glu, in treatment of brain glioma by incorporating into epirubicin liposomes

An enzyme-free photoelectrochemical sensing of concanavalin A based on graphene-supported TiO2 mesocrystal

This work designed a delicate signal-on photoelectrochemical sensing methodology for concanavalin A monitoring by coupling graphene-supported quasi-octahedral TiO2 mesocrystal with an efficient enzyme-free labeling strategy. Herein, graphene with prominent conductivity could accelerate photo-generated electrons transfer, thus enhancing the photocurrent response. Currently, labeling of various enzymes was the mainly strategy for signal amplification, unfavorably, this method usually suffered inferior stability. Hence, the exploration and development of NiCo2O4 labeling was proposed here, which could effectively accept the photo-induced electrons from conduction band of TiO2 mesocrystal, leading to the decrease of the photocurrent intensity. Accordingly, a signal-on non-enzymatic photoelectrochemical sensor was constructed based on immobilized concanavalin A competing with isolated concanavalin A of various concentrations for reaction with the NiCo2O4 labeled glucose conjugates. Under the optimized conditions, the photocurrent increased with the increasing concanavalin A concentration in a dynamic linear range from 0.05ng/mL to 0.5μg/mL, thereby proposing a general format for practical use in quantitative determination of concanavalin A. Promisingly, the successful consideration of graphene sensitized TiO2 mesocrystal further broadened the application of excellent photoactive materials for photoelectrochemical sensing platform.

Synthesis and study of the pancreatic α-amylase inhibitory activity of methyl acarviosin and its derivatives

Pancreatic α-amylase is a target for type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment. However, small molecule inhibitors of α-amylase are currently scarce. In the course of developing small molecule α-amylase inhibitors, we designed and synthesized conjugates of glucose and acarviosin. The synthetic compounds showed mild α-amylase inhibitory activity with higher activity compared with non-glucose conjugated compounds, but lower activity compared to acarviosin. Comparison of these activities revealed transglycosylation of acarviosin during the enzyme reaction. Additionally, the α-amylase inhibitory activity of acarviosin is expressed through these transglycosylation products.

Synthesis and in vitro Antitumor Activity of 9-Hydroxyellipticine Derivatives with Glucose Conjugation via Triazolylmethyl Succinate Linker

Synthesis and in vitro Antitumor Activity of 9-Hydroxyellipticine Derivatives with Glucose Conjugation via Triazolylmethyl Succinate Linker

Lighting up sugars: fluorescent BODIPY–gluco-furanose and –septanose conjugates linked by direct B–O–C bonds

We report the first O-BODIPY-glucose conjugates, in which the sugar is directly attached to the BODIPY boron through covalent B-O-C bonds. The reaction of Cl-BODIPY with glucose in acetonitrile produced the 1 : 1 α-glucofuranose BODIPY (1), 1 : 2 α-glucofuranose BODIPY (2) and 1 : 2 α-glucoseptanose BODIPY (3) esters. Compound 3 is a rare instance of the unnatural septanose form of glucose, and the first example of a septanose borate.

In situ formation of the amino sugars 1-amino-1-deoxy-fructose and 2-amino-2-deoxy-glucose under Maillard reaction conditions in the absence of ammonia

Replacing amino acids with their binary metal complexes during the Maillard reaction can initiate various processes, including the oxidative degradation of their glucose conjugates, generating 1-amino-1-deoxy-fructose and its derivatives. These reactive amino sugars are not easily accessible under Maillard reaction conditions and are only formed in the presence of ammonia. To explore the generality of this observation and to study in particular the ability of fructose to generate glucosamine, the amino acid–metal complexes were heated in aqueous solutions with three aldohexoses and two ketohexoses at 110°C for 2h and the dry residues were analysed by ESI/qTOF/MS/MS. All the sugars generated relatively intense ions at [M+H]+ 180 (C6H14NO5); those ions originating from ketohexoses exhibited MS/MS fragmentations identical to glucosamine and those originating form aldohexoses showed ions identical to fructosamine. Furthermore, the amino sugars were found to form fructosazine, react with other sugars and undergo dehydration reactions.

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry for the quantification of uridine diphosphate-glucose, uridine diphosphate-glucuronic acid, deoxynivalenol and its glucoside: In-house validation and application to wheat

Nucleotide sugars, the activated forms of monosaccharides, are important metabolites involved in a multitude of cellular processes including glycosylation of xenobiotics. Especially in plants, UDP-glucose is one of the most prominent members among these nucleotide-sugars, as it is involved in the formation of glucose conjugates of xenobiotics, including mycotoxins, but also holds a central role in the interconversion of energized sugars such as the formation of UDP-glucuronic acid required for cell wall biosynthesis. Here, we present the first HILIC–LC–ESI-TQ–MS/MS method for the quantification of UDP-glucose and UDP-glucuronic acid together with the Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) and its major plant detoxification product DON-3-O-glucoside (DON-3-Glc) utilizing a polymer-based column. For sample preparation a time-effective and straightforward ‘dilute and shoot’ protocol was applied. The chromatographic run time was minimized to 9min including proper column re-equilibration. In-house validation of the method verified its linear range, intra- (1–7%) and interday (8–20%) precision, instrumental LODs between 0.6 and 10ngmL−1, selectivity and moderate matrix effects with mean recoveries of 85–103%. To prove the methods applicability, we analyzed two sets of wheat extracts obtained from different cultivars grown under standardized greenhouse conditions. The results clearly demonstrated the suitability of the developed method to quantify UDP-glucose, DON and its masked form D3G in diluted wheat extracts. We observed differing concentration levels of UDP-glucose in the two wheat cultivars showing different resistance to the severe plant disease Fusarium head blight. We propose that the higher ability to detoxify DON into DON-3-Glc might be a consequence of the higher cellular UDP-glucose pool in the resistant cultivar.

Ectopic expression of UGT75D1, a glycosyltransferase preferring indole-3-butyric acid, modulates cotyledon development and stress tolerance in seed germination of Arabidopsis thaliana.

The formation of auxin glucose conjugate is proposed to be one of the molecular modifications controlling auxin homeostasis. However, the involved mechanisms and relevant physiological significances are largely unknown or poorly understood. In this study, Arabidopsis UGT75D1 was at the first time identified to be an indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) preferring glycosyltransferase. Assessment of enzyme activity and IBA conjugates in transgenic plants ectopically expressing UGT75D1 indicated that the UGT75D1 catalytic specificity was maintained in planta. It was found that the expression pattern of UGT75D1 was specific in germinating seeds. Consistently, we found that transgenic seedlings with over-produced UGT75D1 exhibited smaller cotyledons and cotyledon epidermal cells than the wild type. In addition, UGT75D1 was found to be up-regulated under mannitol, salt and ABA treatments and the over-expression lines were tolerant to osmotic and salt stresses during germination, resulting in an increased germination rate. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that the mRNA levels of ABA INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3) and ABI5 gene in ABA signaling were substantially down-regulated in the transgenic lines under stress treatments. Interestingly, AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 16 (ARF16) gene of transgenic lines was also dramatically down-regulated under the same stress conditions. Since ARF16 functions as an activator of ABI3 transcription, we supposed that UGT75D1 might play a role in stress tolerance during germination through modulating ARF16-ABI3 signaling. Taken together, our work indicated that, serving as the IBA preferring glycosyltransferase but distinct from other auxin glycosyltransferases identified so far, UGT75D1 might be a very important player mediating a crosstalk between cotyledon development and stress tolerance of germination at the early stage of plant growth.

Multidrug Efflux Pumps Attenuate the Effect of MGMT Inhibitors.

Various mechanisms of drug resistance attenuate the effectiveness of cancer therapeutics, including drug transport and DNA repair. The DNA repair protein O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is a key factor determining the resistance against alkylating anticancer drugs inducing the genotoxic DNA lesions O(6)-methylguanine and O(6)-chloroethylguanine, and MGMT inactivation or depletion renders cells more susceptible to treatment with methylating and chloroethylating agents. Highly specific and efficient inhibitors of the repair protein MGMT were designed, including O(6)-benzylguanine (O(6)BG) and O(6)-(4-bromothenyl)guanine (O(6)BTG) that are nontoxic on their own. Unfortunately, these inhibitors do not select between MGMT in normal and cancer cells, causing nontarget effects in the healthy tissue. Therefore, a targeting strategy for MGMT inhibitors is required. Here, we used O(6)BG and O(6)BTG conjugated to β-d-glucose (O(6)BG-Glu and O(6)BTG-Glu, respectively) in order to selectively inhibit MGMT in tumors, harnessing their high demand for glucose. Both glucose conjugates efficiently inhibited MGMT in several cancer cell lines, but with different extents of sensitization to DNA alkylating agents, with lomustine being more effective than temozolomide. We further show that the glucose conjugates are subject to ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter mediated efflux, involving P-glycoprotein, MRP1, and BCRP, which impacts the efficiency of MGMT inhibition. Surprisingly, also O(6)BG and O(6)BTG were subject to an active transport out of the cell. We also show that pharmacological inhibition of efflux transporters increases the induction of cell death following treatment with these MGMT inhibitors and temozolomide. We conclude that strategies of attenuating the efflux by ABC transporters are required for achieving successful MGMT targeting.