Mutual Prodrug Research Articles

Synthesis and Preliminary Anticancer Evaluation of 6-Mercaptopurine –Methotrexate Conjugate as Possible Mutual Prodrug

Small molecules drug conjugate mutual prodrug design (SMDC) composed of folate and lethal agent conjugate, rigidly bonded via hydrophilic bridge and self immolative disulfide bond ; represent new interesting approaches for cancer treatment , the component of SMDC intended for targeting folate receptor , along with greater conservation of component until reaching the target tumor tissue . The designing and synthesis of compound VI and VIII derived from 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) and Methotrexate ( MTX) conjugate altogether as mutual prodrugs were processed forward successfully by multistep reaction procedures , and by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) for preliminary detection of products and their intermediates, along with their purity. The structures of two final compounds and their intermediates were proclaimed by melting point measurement, infrared spectrometry and ¹HNMR analysis given results greatly correspond with theoretical proposed chemical structure of synthesized compounds. Furthermore, cytotoxic activity evaluation on cell line level had been done for two final compounds against human breast tumor cell (MCF-7) and human ovarian tumor cell (SKO-3) types of cancer cell line and the results were confirmed which show greater cytotoxic tumor activity of two final compounds, while compound VI possess optimal activity proportional with increased number of 6-MP molecules.

Mutual Prodrugs of Piroxicam

Mutual Prodrugs of Piroxicam

Prototyping kinase inhibitor-cytotoxin anticancer mutual prodrugs activated by tumour hypoxia: A chemical proof of concept study

Amide- and ester-linked kinase inhibitor-cytotoxin conjugates were rationally designed and synthesised as prototype hypoxia-activated anticancer mutual prodrugs. Chemical reduction of an aryl nitro trigger moiety was shown to initiate a spontaneous cyclisation/fragmentation reaction that simultaneously released the kinase inhibitor semaxanib (SU5416) and the amine- or alcohol-linked cytotoxin from the prodrugs. Preliminary cell testing and reduction potential measurements support optimisation of the compounds towards tumour-selective mutual prodrugs.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity of Releasable m-THPC-PEGfolate Conjugate Using a Disulfide-containing Linker

The present study reported the preparation of a novel mutual prodrug containing meso-tetra (m-hydroxy phenyl) chlorin (m-THPC), PEG and folate. The folate receptor (FR) targeting compound is a water-soluble chemical incorporating a hydrophilic PEG spacer unit and a reducible selfimmolative disulfide-based linker system between the FR-targeting ligand and the chlorin. The m- THPC-s-s-PEG-Folate was proved to release the parent drug and exhibited significant targeting effects on HeLa cells. In addition, the redox-responsive folate targeting photosensitizer m-THPC-s-s-PEG-Folate showed slightly higher phototoxicity than m-THPC-PEG-Folate for HeLa cells.

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, molecular docking and theoretical studies (DFT) of N-(4-aminophenylsulfonyl)-2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propanamide having potential enzyme inhibition applications.

A mutual prodrug (1) of ibuprofen and sulphanilamide has been synthesized with dual activity and improved toxicity profile. The synthesized compound has been characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR and ESI-MS. The molecular geometry of the compound (1) was optimized using density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP) method with the 6-311G(d,p) basis sets in ground state. Geometric parameters (bond lengths, bond angles, torsion angles), vibrational assignments, chemical shifts and thermodynamics of the compound (1) has been calculated theoretically and compared with the experimental data. Comparative AutoDock study of compound (1) with cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) were performed involving docking for possible selectivity of our prodrug within the two Cox enzymes. The highest binding affinities of -8.7 Kcal/mol and -8.1 Kcal/mol has been obtained for COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes respectively. Compound (1) exhibited enhanced anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and free radical scavenging activities as compared with the parent drugs. Based on various in vitro and in vivo tests it is suggested that the Compound (1) is more active than the parent drugs. Moreover, LD50 of compound (1) is higher than parent drug i.e. ibuprofen and sulphanilamide suggesting that the synthesized compound is much safer than its parent analogous.

CD13 Inhibition Enhances Cytotoxic Effect of Chemotherapy Agents.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) of hepatocellular carcinoma is a serious problem. Although CD13 is a biomarker in human liver cancer stem cells, the relationship between CD13 and MDR remains uncertain. This study uses liver cancer cell model to understand the role of CD13 in enhancing the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapy agents. Cytotoxic agents can induce CD13 expression. CD13 inhibitor, bestatin, enhances the antitumor effect of cytotoxic agents. Meanwhile, CD13-targeting siRNA and neutralizing antibody can enhance the cytotoxic effect of 5-fluorouracil (5FU). CD13 overexpression increases cell survival upon cytotoxic agents treatment, while the knockdown of CD13 causes hypersensitivity of cells to cytotoxic agents treatment. Mechanistically, the inhibition of CD13 leads to the increase of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). BC-02 is a novel mutual prodrug (hybrid drug) of bestatin and 5FU. Notably, BC-02 can inhibit cellular activity in both parental and drug-resistant cells, accompanied with significantly increased ROS level. Moreover, the survival time of Kunming mice bearing H22 cells under BC-02 treatment is comparable to the capecitabine treatment at maximum dosage. These data implicate a therapeutic method to reverse MDR by targeting CD13, and indicate that BC-02 is a potent antitumor compound.

Molecular dynamics/quantum mechanics guided designing of natural products based prodrugs of Epalrestat

Over activated molecular target ALR2 of polyol pathway and oxidative stress are two well established pathological indicators in diabetic complications. In present study, mutual prodrugs of Epalrestat and natural product based antioxidants were designed, synthesized and evaluated. In silico techniques such as molecular dynamic simulations and quantum mechanical approaches, considering human esterase enzyme (hCE1) as the site of hydrolytic cleavage were employed in designing of these mutual prodrugs. Geometrical parameters (distance and Burgi-Dunitz angle favorable for nucleophilic attack) and quantum mechanical parameters (HOMO-LUMO energy gap), which govern the hydrolytic cleavage of ester prodrugs by esterase enzyme were calculated. Further, on the basis of in silico analysis, mutual prodrugs were synthesized and considering the values of in silico parameters, EPL-GUA (3g) was evaluated for its in vivo antioxidant activity. Results suggested that 3g possess significant antioxidant activity intermediary to control and Epalrestat. Thus, this study has concluded that these mutual prodrugs could be optimized to develop molecules for the management of diabetic complications.

Synthesis of Mutual Pro-drugs through coupling of Etodolac And Tolmetin by Sulfa drugs

Synthesis of Mutual Pro-drugs through coupling of Etodolac And Tolmetin by Sulfa drugs

Abstract A119: Nanocarriers with a camptothecin-mitocan co-drug suppress tumor growth and extend survival in models of chemosensitive and chemoresistant neuroblastoma

Abstract Background: Neuroblastoma (NB) ranks as the most common solid tumor in infants and is responsible for 15% of all childhood cancer deaths. Chemotherapeutics used as a first-line treatment in high-risk NB patients are inherently toxic and ultimately ineffective. High-risk NB patients have <50% survival rate, and a particular challenge is posed by a group of “ultrahigh”-risk patients who show no response to therapy. With the goal of developing a clinically viable treatment strategy for high-risk NB, this study focused on an experimental approach integrating novel mutual prodrugs (co-drugs) and biodegradable nanocarriers. Nanocarrier-mediated co-drug delivery is designed to take advantage of enhanced accumulation and retention of sub-100 nm-sized nanoparticles (NP) in the tumor, followed by controlled release and in situ activation of the co-drug. Toward this goal, we developed a series of reversibly hydrophobized co-drugs exhibiting stable encapsulation in NP and activated hydrolytically to produce in one step 1) a potent camptothecin analog that inhibits topoisomerase I (SN-38) and 2) a pro-oxidant “helper” agent of a redox-silent tocol family of mitocans acting on the mitochondrial respiratory chain of cancerous cells. The effectiveness of co-drug loaded NP was evaluated in vitro and in orthotopic models of MYCN-amplified, chemosensitive, and drug-resistant NB. Methods and Results: A series of SN38-tocol conjugates constructed with progressively increasing hydrolytic activation rates were synthesized in high yields via direct coupling of the components. Co-drug loaded biodegradable NP (average size: 85±36 nm) were formulated using a nanoprecipitation approach adapted for producing sub-100 nm-sized nanocarriers. In comparative in vitro studies, a co-drug designed with a phenolic ester linkage was found to be most effective, achieving profound and sustained growth inhibition of MYCN-amplified NB cells, both chemo-naïve and chemoresistant (IMR-32 and BE(2)-C cells derived at diagnosis and during relapse after chemotherapy, respectively) under conditions modeling different levels of exposure experienced by NB cells within the tumor. Phenolic carbonate and aliphatic ester designs were notably less efficient. In an in vivo model of chemosensitive disease (IMR-32 orthotopic xenograft), nanocarriers with phenolic ester co-drug administered over 4 weeks (10 mg/kg, once a week) induced tumor regression and completely inhibited tumor growth over a 26-week period. This co-drug/nanocarrier formulation tested against chemoresistant NB (BE(2)-C orthotopic xenograft) potently suppressed tumor growth and extended animal survival up to 7 weeks, in comparison to irinotecan, which was only marginally effective (event-free survival of 3 weeks vs. 2 weeks in "no treatment" and drug-free NP groups). Conclusions: Camptothecin-mitocan co-drugs can be rationally designed and optimized to enhance their performance in the context of nanocarrier-based therapy of aggressive NB. The co-drug/nanocarrier combination strategy, whose feasibility and effectiveness against both chemosensitive and drug-resistant NB was demonstrated in the present preclinical studies, holds promise as a new therapeutic strategy for high-risk NB as well as for other solid tumors currently lacking effective treatment options. Citation Format: David Guerrero, Ivan S. Alferiev, Ferro Nguyen, Peng Guan, Venkatadri Kolla, Danielle Soberman, Ilia Fishbein, Robert J. Levy, Garrett M. Brodeur, Michael Chorny. Nanocarriers with a camptothecin-mitocan co-drug suppress tumor growth and extend survival in models of chemosensitive and chemoresistant neuroblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A119.

Colon-targeting mutual prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid and butyrate for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

The aim of this study was to design and synthesize four colon-targeting mutual prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and butyrate, and evaluate their therapeutic effects on ulcerative colitis. Herein, 5-ASB, 5-ASDB, Ols-DB and Ols-DBP were prepared and characterized, and their lipophilicity, solubility, in vitro and in vivo stability were investigated. Finally, the ameliorative effects of the prodrugs on experimental colitis were evaluated via a series of indicators, including the body weight and survival rates of mice, the colon index and colonic damage score, the disease activity index, the myeloperoxidase activity and levels of superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, glutathione and glutathione peroxidase in colonic tissues. As a result, 5-ASB was very stable but Ols-DB showed extreme instability in the environment of the gastrointestinal tract, while 5-ASDB and Ols-DBP showed desirable colon-targeting properties. The four prodrugs all had certain therapeutic effects on the experimental colitis. When orally administered to mice, 5-ASDB and Ols-DBP had significantly greater effects than the mixture of 5-ASA and sodium butyrate. Ols-DB was used as an enema and could be as effective as 5-ASDB and Ols-DBP. In addition, the therapeutic effects of the synthesized prodrugs might be associated with their anti-oxidative damage ability.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Mutual Prodrugs of Carboxylic Group Containing Some Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Propyphenazone.

The use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) is not up to its potential because of their gastrointestinal side effects. Significant attention has been focused on the growth of bio-reversible derivatives, such as mutual prodrugs, to momentarily mask the acidic group of NSAIDs as a promising means of decreasing or eliminating the GI side effects. The aims of this paper are to synthesize the mutual prodrugs of selected NSAIDs (Ketorolac, niflumic acid, tolfenamic acid) with propyphenazone, a study on their several physicochemical characters, hydrolysis kinetics, antiinflammatory, analgesic activity and ulcerogenicity. Mutual prodrugs were synthesized and their structures were confirmed and characterized using IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectroscopy and their purity was established by elemental analysis. Synthesized prodrugs were subjected for pharmacokinetic studies, analgesic, anti-inflammatory activities and ulcerogenic index. In vitro hydrolysis study of synthesized prodrugs in enzyme-free simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 7.4) and 80% human plasma showed encouraging hydrolysis rate following first order kinetics while found stable in simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 1.2). Considerable decrease in ulcerogenic index and better anti-inflammatory activities were found in most of the cases as compared to their parent drugs. Among all prodrugs, viz. KE and NG showed excellent pharmacological response. A very less irritation to gastric mucosal was observed with the synthesized prodrugs than their parent drugs and can be considered for sustained drug release. Encouraging hydrolysis rate in SIF and 80% human plasma, improved analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities and reduced ulcerogenic liabilities of synthesized prodrugs revealed enhancement in the therapeutic index of the parent drugs. On the basis of above observation, it is concluded that mutual prodrugs approach can be applied to obtain synergistic effect for analgesic and anti inflammatory activities as well as to minimize gastrointestinal toxicity of the drug.

Synthesis and biological characterization of ubenimex-fluorouracil conjugates for anti-cancer therapy

Previously a novel ubenimex-fluorouracil (5-FU) conjugate, BC-01 was identified and validated as a potent CD13 inhibitor with marked in vitro and in vivo antitumor potency. Herein, further structural modifications of the linker part of BC-01 was carried out to get more potent and stable ubenimex–fluorouracil conjugates. It was striking that most of these conjugates showed even more potent CD13 inhibitory activities than BC-01 and the approved CD13 inhibitor ubenimex. One representative compound 12a displayed significant in vitro anti-proliferation, pro-apoptosis, anti-metastasis, anti-angiogenesis and CD13+ cell elimination effects. In vitro stability and in vivo pharmacokinetic study revealed that compound 12a could release ubenimex and 5-FU slowly, which could act as a mutual prodrug of ubenimex and 5-FU. Compared with 5-FU or 5-FU plus ubenimex, 12a exhibited superior in vivo antitumor growth efficiency, even in our mice model of 5-FU-resistant liver cancer. Moreover, 12a exhibited more potent in vivo anti-metastasis and lifespan extension effects compared to the approved 5-FU prodrug capecitabine. Collectively, these results suggest that further optimization and evaluation of 12a as a promising anticancer candidate are warranted to develop effective therapeutic agents for human liver cancer.

Prodrugs of NSAIDs: A Review.

Intoroduction:Prodrug approach deals with chemical biotransformation or enzymatic conversion or involves inactive or less active bio-reversible derivatives of active drug molecules. They have to pass through enzymatic or chemical biotransformation before eliciting their pharmacological action.Methods & Materials:The two different pharmacophores combine to give synergistic activity or may help in targeting the active drug to its target. Prodrug super seeds the problems of prodrug designing, for example solubility enhancement, bioavailability enhancement, chemical stability improvement, presystemic metabolism, site specific delivery, toxicity masking, improving patient acceptance, or eradicating undesirable adverse effects.Results:As an outcome the search for a prodrug or mutual prodrug with reduced toxicity has continued during recent years. This present review emphasizes the common help to revamp physiochemical, pharmaceutical and therapeutic effectiveness of drugs.Conclusion:This gives the researcher a common platform where they can find prodrugs of commonly used NSAIDs to overcome the gastrointestinal toxicity (irritation, ulcergenocity and bleeding).

Synthesis, Characterization & Biological Evaluation of Mutual Prodrugs of Some Selected NSAIDs conjugated with different antioxidant via different amino acids

Synthesis, Characterization & Biological Evaluation of Mutual Prodrugs of Some Selected NSAIDs conjugated with different antioxidant via different amino acids

Synthesis, Characterization & Biological Evaluation of Mutual Prodrugs of Some Selected NSAIDs conjugated with different antioxidant via different amino acids

Synthesis, Characterization & Biological Evaluation of Mutual Prodrugs of Some Selected NSAIDs conjugated with different antioxidant via different amino acids

Novel drug delivery of dual acting prodrugs of hydroxychloroquine with aryl acetic acid NSAIDs: Design, kinetics and pharmacological study.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by restricted movements of joints of hand, feet, elbow, knees and neck but principally the synovial joints. Though etiopathology is not exactly known, treatment paradigms are evolving to provide a tighter control over symptoms and disease progression. Current trend is introduction of disease modifying anti-rheumatoid drugs (DMARDs) at early stages. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are two mechanistically different categories widely used in the management of RA where the first arrests the disease progression while the latter offers symptomatic relief. Present work aims at minimizing problems of slow onset and accumulation of HCQ in non-targeted sites and local gastric intolerance to NSAIDs by designing their mutual ester prodrugs. Synthesis of prodrugs was achieved by CDI coupling and structures were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Prodrugs resisted hydrolysis in acidic environment of the stomach but exhibited significant release in small intestine. Upon oral administration of prodrugs to rats, 40.5-49% HCQ and 53.4-66.8% of NSAIDs were recovered in 8.5-10h in blood. Urine and feces samples pooled over a period of 24h exhibited 2.3-3.5% and 0.75-0.9% of HCQ, respectively, without any presence of intact prodrugs or NSAIDs. Prodrugs were pharmacologically evaluated for analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities using standard animal models. Among all, prodrugs of HCQ with licofelone (HL) and aceclofenac (HA) produced superior analgesia, improved weight gain, normalization of joint diameter/paw volume than HCQ and physical mixtures of HCQ and NSAIDs. Hematological and biochemical studies indicated significant step up in RBC, Hb, platelet count, total protein nutrient (TPN) levels and step down in WBC, serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) by the treatment with HL and HA. Through these novel codrugs, problems of slow onset and accumulation of HCQ in non-targeted sites and local gastric intolerance to NSAIDs were well addressed. These dual acting mutual prodrugs of two mechanistically different anti-arthritic agents could be explored further as promising strategy for effective management of RA.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Mutual Prodrugs of Some Selected NSAIDs

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Mutual Prodrugs of Some Selected NSAIDs

Phosphodiester Conjugation of Metronidazole and Dexamethasone as Possible Mutual Prodrug

As possible mutual prodrug had been synthesized that contain metronidazole and dexamethazone conjugated through phosphodiester linkage. The rationale for this type of conjugate is to get a prodrug with possible site – specific delivery of its active constituents into the lower parts of the G.I.T.
 This compound was synthesized by the reaction of dexamethzone – 21 – phosphate with metronidazole to form:(1 – (dexamethazone – 21 – phosphoryl) – metronidazole)
 This conjugate was performed using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) as a condensing agent. The identity of the prepared compound had been confirmed using T.L.C., U.V. spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis.
 The partition coefficient for it had also been determined through n – Octanol / water partitioning system.

Conjugation of Steroidal and Non – Steroidal Anti- Inflammatory Drugs as Possible Mutual Prodrug

Prednisolone (SAID) was conjugated with ibuprofen (NSAID) through an amino acid (glycine) as a spacer arm to synthesize the following compound:
 Prednisolone – glycine – ibuprofen.
 The method employed consists of converting the carboxylic acid function of (R,S) – ibuprofen – glycine to the highly reactive acid chloride and subsequent reaction with the C21 hydroxyl group of prednisolone. This reactive intermediate was found to react as well with the C17 tertiary hydroxyl group of the steroid to form three compounds and eight diastereomers. These results were confirmed by T.L.C, and the desired compound was separated by column chromatography. The identity of the prepared compound was established using U.V spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and elemental microanalysis.The partition coefficient (PC) for this compound was estimated and found to be more soluble in the organic phase (n – octanol). Preliminary kinetic study indicated that the compound needs more than 15 hours for significant hydrolysis in phosphate buffer pH 7.8.

Synthesis of 5-Fluorouracil Derivatives as Possible Mutual Prodrugs with Meloxicam and Ibuprofen for Targeting Cancer Tissues

In the present study, five derivatives have been designed to be synthesized as possible mutual prodrugs for 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to selectively deliver the drugs into the cancer cells. The synthesis of the target compounds were accomplished following multistep reaction procedures, the chemical reaction followed up and the purity of the products were checked by TLC. The structure of the final compounds and their intermediates were confirmed by their melting points, infrared spectroscopy and elemental microanalysis, the hydrolysis of compound III was studied using HPLC technique. According to the results mentioned above, compounds (I−V) can be good candidates as possible mutual prodrugs of 5-FU and NSAIDs that can selectively deliver the parent drugs into the cancer cells by the effect of enzymes that elevated in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues.
 Key wards: Anticancer, 5-Fluorouracil, NSAIDs, prodrug.