Corrole‐based photodynamic antitumor therapy

Study of photodynamic therapy (PDT) based on corroles has become one of the most important topics in corrole chemistry. Advances in synthetic methodology have made it possible for the preparation of structurally diverse corrole photosensitizers. This review covers the recent progress in the study of corrole as a photosensitizer in the photodynamic antitumor therapy. The content is organized in three sections: cellular uptaking and localization of corrole in tumor cells; morphological changes and cytotoxicity after corrole PDT treatment; and the animal level corrole PDT test. The possible mechanism of corrole‐based PDT antitumor activity is also summarized.     

pH响应的PEG化基因传递体系

制备了苯甲酰亚胺键偶联的聚乙二醇化(PEG化)聚乙烯亚胺(m PEG-CH=N-PEI),并以还原无p H响应特性m PEG-PEI作为对照.研究结果表明,PEG链段的引入并未影响聚乙烯亚胺与脱氧核糖核酸(DNA)分子的缔合,形成了尺寸为80 nm,表面电位约为10 m V的基因超分子组装体,具有很好的生理盐稳定性.在模拟溶酶体的酸性环境下,苯甲酰亚胺键有效断裂,显示出很好的p H响应特性.Hep G2细胞培养结果表明,由于PEG链段有效屏蔽了组装体表面的正电荷,PEG化组装体的细胞毒性和内吞效率显著降低,但溶酶体酸性条件使苯甲酰亚胺键断裂,有利于组装体逃离溶酶体,因此m PEG-CH=N-PEI依然具有很高的基因转染效率,实现了基因载体细胞外稳定传递、细胞内响应解离并高效转染的功能.     

PEGylated BODIPY assembling fluorescent nanoparticles for photodynamic therapy

Two PEGylated BODIPY which could self-assemble into nanoparticles were synthesized via multicomponent Passerini reaction for cellular imaging and photodynamic therapy.     

Synthesis of soft alkyl phenolic ether prodrugs using Mitsunobu chemistry

The synthesis of soft alkyl phenolic ether prodrugs in excellent yields has been reported by coupling a phenol with a hydroxymethylimide using Mitsunobu chemistry. The imides used in this study include saccharin, phthalimide, succinimide and two other compounds containing acidic imide-like N-H groups, benzotriazole, and imidazole.     

Facile preparation of pH-responsive PEGylated prodrugs for activated intracellular drug delivery

The acid-cleavable amphiphilic prodrug DOX-PEG-DOX self-assemble to form nanoparticles and enter the cell by endocytosis for the pH-triggered intracellular delivery of DOX.     

Facile preparation of pH-responsive PEGylated prodrugs for activated intracellular drug delivery

PEGylated prodrug, covalent attaching polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer chains to therapeutic drugs, is one of the most promising techniques to improve the water-solubility, stability, and therapeutic effect of drugs. In this study, three PEGylated acid-sensitive prodrugs DOX-PEG-DOX with different molecular weights, were prepared via Schiff-base reaction between aldehyde-modified PEG and the amino groups of doxorubicin (DOX). This kind of amphiphilic polymeric prodrug could be self-assemble into nanoparticles in aqueous solution. The average particle size and morphologies of the prodrug nanoparticles under different pH conditions were observed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. It turned out that the nanoparticles could be kept stable in the physiological environment, but degraded in acidic medium. Subsequently, we also investigated in vitro drug release behavior and found that the prodrug had acid-sensitive property. The cytotoxicity and intracellular uptake assays revealed that the prodrugs could rapidly internalized by HeLa or HepG2 cells to release DOX and effectively inhibited the proliferation of the tumor cells, which have the potential for use in cancer therapy.     

A novel micellar PEGylated hyperbranched polyester as a prospective drug delivery system for paclitaxel

A hyperbranched aliphatic polyester has been functionalized with PEG chains to afford a novel water-soluble BH40-PEG polymer which exhibits unimolecular micellar properties, and is therefore appropriate for application as a drug-delivery system. The solubility of the anticancer drug paclitaxel was enhanced by a factor of 35, 110, 230, and 355 in aqueous solutions of BH40-PEG of 10, 30, 60, and 90 mg x mL(-1), respectively. More than 50% of the drug is released at a steady rate and release is almost complete within 10 h. The toxicity of BH40-PEG was assessed in vitro with A549 human lung carcinoma cells and found to be nontoxic for 3 h incubation up to a 1.75 mg x mL(-1) concentration while LD50 was 3.5 mg x mL(-1). Finally, it was efficiently internalized in cells, primarily in the absence of foetal bovine serum, while confocal microscopy revealed the preferential localization of the compound in cell nuclei. [Figure: see text].     

Evaluation of PEGylated fibrin as a three-dimensional biodegradable scaffold for ovarian tissue engineering

The most challenging task of creating a bioengineered ovary to restore fertility in cancer patients is choosing an appropriate biomaterial to encapsulate isolated preantral follicles and ovarian cells. In this study, as a biocompatible and biodegradable biomaterial containing fibrin-like bioactivity and manageable physical properties, PEGylated fibrin aims to encapsulate isolated ovarian stromal cells as a first step of creating an engineered ovarian tissue. For this purpose, human ovarian stromal cells were isolated from frozen-thawed ovarian tissue and cultured in the PEGylated fibrin hydrogels (PEG:Fib), which were fabricated by combining two different molar ratios of PEG:Fib (10:1 and 5:1) and two thrombin concentrations. The samples were analyzed at days 0 and 5 of in vitro for cell density, proliferation (Ki67), and apoptosis (caspase-3). Moreover, LIVE/DEAD and PrestoBlue assays assessed cell viability and proliferation on days 1, 3, and 5. The effect of PEGylation on the biodegradation behavior of fibrin was evaluated by measuring the remaining mass ratio of non-modified fibrin, PEG:Fib 10:1, and PEG:Fib 5:1 hydrogels after 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, and 15 days. The results showed that PEGylated fibrin hydrogels enhanced scaffold stability and supported cell viability and proliferation. In addition, PEG:Fib 5:1 T50 indicated a significantly higher cell density dynamic and non-significantly lower expression of caspase-3 on day 5. Besides, uniformity of cell distribution inside the hydrogel and a tendency to a high rate of Ki67-positive cells was observed in PEG:Fib 10:1 T50 hydrogels. In conclusion, this study reveals the positive effects of PEGylated fibrin hydrogels on isolated human ovarian stromal cells. Based on such promising findings, we believe that this matrix should be tested to encapsulate isolated human ovarian follicles.     

Polymeric photosensitizer prodrugs for photodynamic therapy

A targeting strategy based on the selective enzyme-mediated activation of polymeric photosensitizer prodrugs (PPP) within pathological tissue has led to the development of agents with the dual ability to detect and treat cancer. Herein, a detailed study of a simple model system for these prodrugs is described. We prepared "first-generation" PPP by directly tethering the photosensitizer (PS) pheophorbide a to poly-(L)-lysine via epsilon amide links and observed that by increasing the number of PS on a polymer chain, energy transfer between PS units improved leading to better quenching efficiency. Fragmentation of the PPP backbone by trypsin digestion gave rise to a pronounced fluorescence increase and to more efficient generation of reactive oxygen species upon light irradiation. In vitro tests using the T-24 bladder carcinoma cell line and ex vivo experiments using mouse intestines illustrated the remarkable and selective ability of these PPP to fluoresce and induce phototoxicity upon enzymatic activation. This work elucidated the basic physicochemical parameters, such as water solubility and quenching/activation behavior, required for the future elaboration of more adaptable "second-generation" PPP, in which the PS is tethered to a proteolytically stable polymer backbone via enzyme-specific peptide linkers. This polymer architecture offers great flexibility to tailor make the PPP to target any pathological tissue known to over-express a specific enzyme.     

Analytical and preparative separation of PEGylated lysozyme for the characterization of chromatography media

The effect of PEGylation on cation exchange chromatography was studied with poly(ethylene glycol) of different chain lengths (5 kDa, 10 kDa and 30 kDa) using lysozyme as a model system. A stable binding via reduction of a Schiff base was formed during random PEGylation on lysine residues with methoxy-PEG-aldehyde. A purification method for PEGylated proteins using cation exchange chromatography was developed, and different isoforms of mono-PEGylated lysozyme were isolated. TSKgel SP-5PW and Toyopearl GigaCap S-650M showed the best performance of all tested cation exchange resins, and the separation of PEGylated lysozyme could be also scaled up to semi-preparative level. Size-exclusion chromatography, SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry were used for analysis. Separated mono-PEGylated lysozyme of different sizes was used to determine dynamic binding capacities (DBC) and selectivity of cation exchange chromatography resins. An optimization of binding conditions resulted in a more than 20-fold increase of DBC for Toyopearl GigaCap S-650M with 30 kDa mono-PEGylated lysozyme.     

Combined nanosuspensions from two natural active ingredients for cancer therapy with reduced side effects

Tumor drug resistance and systemic side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs are the main reasons for the failure of cancer treatment. In recent years, it was found that some natural active ingredients can reverse MDR and regulate body immunity to enhance the efficacy and reduce toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs. In this paper, a new nanosuspensions, HCPT and QUR hybrid nanosuspensions (HQ-NPs), was prepared by the microprecipitation-high pressure homogenization method to reverse tumor drug resistance, reduce toxicity, and increase therapeutic efficacy. The in vitro investigation results showed that HQ-NPs had a unique shape (particle size was about 216.3 ± 5.9 nm), changed crystalline, and different dissolution rates compared with HCPT-NPs and QUR-NPs, which is attributed to the strong intermolecular forces between HCPT and QUR as indicated by the results of the molecule dock. It was verified that the HQ-NPs could double the retention of HCPT in cells and enhance the cytotoxicity to A549/PTX cells in vitro tests compared with HCPT-NPs. We also found that HQ-NPs can significantly enhance the accumulation of HCPT in tumor sites, improve the antitumor activity of HCPT, and protect the immune organs and other normal tissues (P < 0.01), compared with HCPT-NPs. Therefore, hybrid nanosuspensions can offer promising potential as the drug delivery system for HCPT and QUR to increase the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the toxicity of HCPT.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of 7-azaindirubin

Twenty 7-azaindirubin derivatives were designed and synthesized.Their antitumor activities were evaluated in vitro against DU145 cell line.The pharmacological results showed that most of the prepared compounds displayed the excellent activity.Compound 18 exhibited the most potent antitumor activity among the tested compounds.     

PEGylated WS2 nanosheets for X-ray computed tomography imaging and photothermal therapy

WS2 nanosheets were prepared by the solvent-thermal method in the presence of n-butyl lithium, then the exfoliation under the condition of ultrasound. The formed WS2 nanosheets were conjugated with thiol-modified polyethylene glycol (PEG-SH) to improve the biocompatibility. The nanosheets (WS2-PEG) were able to inhibit the growth of a model HeLa cancer cell line in vitro due to the high photothermal conversion efficiency of 35% irradiated by an 808 nm laser (1 W/cm2). As a proof of concept, WS2-PEG nanosheets with the better X-ray attenuation property than the clinical computed tomography (CT) contrast agent (Iohexol) could be performed for CT imaging of the lymph vessel.     

Monitoring manufacturing process yields,purity and stability of structural variants of PEGylated staphylokinase mutant SY161 by quantitative reverse-phase chromatography

Staphylokinase variant SY161 is a recombinant mutant of the Staphylococcus aureus polypeptide staphylokinase (Sak), and is currently in human clinical trials as a thrombolytic agent. The 15 kDa single chain SY161 protein is expressed as a soluble cytoplasmic product in E. coli with a single cysteine inserted near the N-terminus. The protein as extracted from E. coli is a mixture of both monomeric and intermolecularly disulfide crosslinked species. To improve protein purification yields SY161 is sulfitolyzed during the early stages of production, preventing disulfide formation. The protein is later modified during manufacturing to incorporate a single 5 kDa polyethylene glycol group on the single sulfhydryl sidechain. We have developed and qualified a reverse-phase chromatographic method to quantitate SY161 during product manufacturing. We discuss the use of the assay during manufacturing development to monitor fermentation yields, the SY161 PEGylation reaction, and as an in-process manufacturing control assay. The assay has been applied as a product purity and identity release assay and is suitable for use in assessing product structural integrity during stability testing. The assay has a linear range of quantitation for SY161 from at least 0.15 to 16 micro g, and is-in addition capable of detecting and quantitating protein de-PEGylation events and host cell-derived protein contaminants.     

Chartarolides A-C,novel meroterpenoids with antitumor activities

Three phenylspirodrimane-based meroterpenoids with novel scaffolds, namely chartarolides A-C (1–3), were isolated from a sponge (Niphates recondite) associated fungus Stachybotrys chartarum WGC-25C-6. Their structures were determined on the basis of comprehensive analyses of the spectroscopic data (IR, 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS), including the TDDFT-ECD calculation for the assignments of absolute configurations. The biogenetic generation of 1–3 through the conjunction of phenylspirodrimane and mollicellin-type analogues as the precursors was postulated. Chartarolides A-C exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against a panel of human tumor cell lines, and showed strong inhibitory activities against the human tumor related protein kinases of FGFR3, IGF1R, PDGFRb, and TrKB.     

Simple chromatographic detection modes for antitumor agent and its degradants

Degradation of active ingredients is common during the production, transportation, and storage of the pharmaceutical preparations. The resulted degradation products can affect the pharmaceuticals’ therapeutic effect. Also, they may have some toxic properties that make them have deleterious effects on patients. Nifuroxazide, antitumor, antimetastasis, and antidiarrheal agent, has been detected in pharmaceutical formulation by two sensitive, selective, and cheap methods. The first method was densitometric thin-layer chromatography technique. The compound was detected in the presence of its degradation products without any interference. Limits of quantification and detection values were 200 and 94.3?ng/band, respectively. The method was linear in the range 0.2–12?µg/band with mean recovery% ±relative standard deviation (RSD)%?=?99.97%?±?1.414. The second method was developed using simple high-performance liquid chromatography technique. The method was successfully able to separate the proposed compound from its degradation forms in the presence of pentoxiftylline as an internal standard without any interference in less than 5?min. The method also detected nifuroxazide degradation products down to 500?ng/mL. Both methods were statistically compared to a reported method with no significant difference in performance.     

Synthesis and in vitro antitumor activity of novel naphthyridinone derivatives

A series of naphthyridinone derivatives based on la(a precursor of Voreloxin) were designed and synthesized.Seven compounds having 70%inhibition against HL60 at 30 μmol/L were further evaluated for their in vitro antitumor activity by SRB assay.Results reveal that thiazol-2-yl and 3-aminomethyl-4-benzyloxyimino-3-methylpyrrolidin-l-yl groups are optimal at the N-1 and C-7positions of naphthyridinone core,respectively.10 j exhibits broad-spectrum activity(IC_(50):0.5-6.25 μmol/L) against all of the tested cell lines including Etoposide- and/or la-resistant ones,and is 1.3-fold to 100-fold more potent than the two references against eight of these cell lines.     

Synthesis and antitumor activity of derivatives of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid

A series of natural product 23-hydroxybetulinic acid derivatives were prepared.In the preparation of mono-O-benzoyl ester derivative,it was observed that benzoyl group migrated from 3-O-to 23-O-position during the detritylation.