Single-triggered AB6 self-immolative dendritic amplifiers

Self-immolative dendrimers are a unique class of molecules that are able to disassemble upon undergoing a specific triggering reaction through domino-like fragmentations. We have designed and synthesized a novel AB(6) self-immolative dendritic adaptor that amplifies a single cleavage event into the release of six reporter units. The disassembly mechanism is based on a specifically triggered cleavage event followed by elimination of a cyclic urea derivative and six consecutive quinone methide eliminations. The system was disassembled under both organic and aqueous conditions by either chemical or enzymatic triggering. Various reporter molecules and triggering groups were introduced onto the dendritic adaptor to obtaining sensor molecules with enhanced properties for diagnostics and imaging.     

Computationally-designed phenylephrine prodrugs – a model for enhancing bioavailability

DFT calculations at B3LYP 6-31G (d,p) for intramolecular proton transfer in a number of Kirby's enzyme models demonstrated that the driving force for the proton transfer efficiency is the distance between the two reactive centres (r_GM) and the attack angle (α); and the rate of the reaction is linearly correlated with r_GM² and sin (180°- α). Based on these results three phenylephrine prodrugs were designed to provide phenylephrine with higher bioavailability than their parent drug. Using the experimental t_1/2 (the time needed for the conversion of 50% of the reactants to products) and EM (effective molarity) values for these processes the t_1/2 values for the conversion of the three prodrugs to the parent drug, phenylephrine were calculated. The calculated t_1/2 values for ProD 1 and ProD 2 were very high (145 days and several years, respectively) whereas that of ProD 3 was found to be about 35 hours. Therefore, the intra-conversion rates of the phenylephrine prodrugs to phenylephrine can be programmed according to the nature of the prodrug linker.     

Aldolase antibody activation of prodrugs of potent aldehyde-containing cytotoxics for selective chemotherapy

Prodrugs of potent aldehyde analogues of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) were synthesized. These prodrugs were efficiently activated by antibody 93F3 and no drug formation was observed in the absence of 93F3 in either phosphate buffered saline or cell culture media. In the presence of antibody 93F3, these prodrugs were activated and decreased the proliferation of human cancer cells in in vitro proliferation assays.     

The Self‐Assembly of Anticancer Camptothecin–Dipeptide Nanotubes: A Minimalistic and High Drug Loading Approach to Increased Efficacy

20‐(S)‐Camptothecin (CPT)‐conjugated dipeptides are reported that preassemble into nanotubes with diameters ranging from 80–120 nm. These nanoassemblies maintain a high (～47 %) drug loading and exhibit greater drug stability (i.e., resistance to lactone hydrolysis), and consequently greater efficacy against several human cancer cells (HT‐29, A549, H460, and H23) in vitro compared with the clinically used prodrug irinotecan. A key and defining feature of this system is the use of the CPT‐conjugated dipeptide as both the drug and precursor to the nanostructured carrier, which simplifies the overall fabrication process.     

Intracellular protein labeling with prodrug-like probes using a mutant β-lactamase tag

Intracellular protein labeling with small molecular probes that do not require a washing step for the removal of excess probe is greatly desired for real-time investigation of protein dynamics in living cells. Successful labeling of proteins on the cell membrane has been performed using mutant β-lactamase tag (BL-tag) technology. In the present study, intracellular protein labeling with novel cell membrane permeable probes based on β-lactam prodrugs is described. The prodrug-based probes quickly permeated the plasma membranes of living mammalian cells, and efficiently labeled intracellular proteins at low probe concentrations. Because these cell-permeable probes were activated only inside cells, simultaneous discriminative labeling of intracellular and cell surface BL-tag fusion proteins was attained by using cell-permeable and impermeable probes. Thus, this technology enables adequate discrimination of the location of proteins labeled with the same protein tag, in conjunction with different color probes, by dual-color fluorescence. Moreover, the combination of BL-tag technology and the prodrug-based probes enabled the labeling of target proteins without requiring a washing step, owing to the efficient entry of probes into cells and the fast covalent labeling achieved with BL-tag technology after bioactivation. This prodrug-based probe design strategy for BL-tags provides a simple experimental procedure with application to cellular studies with the additional advantage of reduced stress to living cells.