Gemcitabine (dFdC) demonstrates significant effectiveness against solid tumors in vitro and in vivo; however, its clinical application is limited because it tends to easily undergo deamination metabolism. Therefore, we synthesized 4-N-carbobenzoxy-gemcitabine (Cbz-dFdC) as a lead prodrug and conducted a detailed pharmacokinetic, metabolic, and pharmacodynamic evaluation. After intragastric Cbz-dFdC administration, the Cmax of Cbz-dFdC and dFdC was 451.1 ± 106.7 and 1656.3 ± 431.5 ng/mL, respectively. The Tmax of Cbz-dFdC and dFdC was 2 and 4 h, respectively. After intragastric administration of Cbz-dFdC, this compound was mainly distributed in the intestine due to low carboxylesterase-1 (CES1) activity. Cbz-dFdC is activated by CES1 in both humans and rats. The enzyme kinetic curves were well fitted by the Michaelis–Menten equation in rats’ blood, plasma, and tissue homogenates and S9 of the liver and kidney, as well as human liver S9 and CES1 recombinase. The pharmacodynamic results showed that the Cbz-dFdC have a good antitumor effect in the HepG2 cell and in tumor-bearing mice, respectively. In general, Cbz-dFdC has good pharmaceutical characteristics and is therefore a good candidate for a potential prodrug.
Gemcitabine (dFdC)在体外和体内对实体肿瘤表现出显著的有效性,但其临床应用受到限制,因为它容易发生脱氨基代谢。因此,我们合成了4-N-苯甲酰基基西他滨(Cbz-dFdC)作为前体药物,并进行了详细的药代动力学、代谢和药效学评价。经口给予Cbz-dFdC后,Cbz-dFdC和dFdC的Cmax分别为451.1 ± 106.7和1656.3 ± 431.5 ng/mL。Cbz-dFdC和dFdC的Tmax分别为2和4小时。经口给予Cbz-dFdC后,由于低羧酸酯酶-1(CES1)活性,该化合物主要分布在肠道中。Cbz-dFdC在人和大鼠中均通过CES1激活。在大鼠的血液、血浆和组织匀浆以及肝脏和肾脏的S9以及人类肝脏S9和CES1重组酶中,酶动力学曲线都很好地符合Michaelis-Menten方程。药效学结果显示,Cbz-dFdC在HepG2细胞和带瘤小鼠中均具有良好的抗肿瘤效果。总的来说,Cbz-dFdC具有良好的药学特性,因此是潜在的前体药物候选。