A galactose-appended camptothecin prodrug was newly synthesized. The prodrug preferentially entered a hepatoma cell line due to the galactose unit and the drug release triggered by disulfide-bond cleavage via reaction with glutathione was visualized on the basis of fluorescence changes of the naphthalimide moiety. The prodrug entered the cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis and released drug molecules into lysosomes, however, the released drug molecules failed to show significant anticancer activity, probably due to lysosomal hydrolysis of their lactone ring converting them to an inactive carboxylate form.
新合成了一种附着半
乳糖的
喜树碱前药。由于半
乳糖单元的作用,该前药优先进入一种肝癌
细胞系,并且通过与
谷胱甘肽发生二
硫键断裂反应触发药物释放,这一过程可以通过
萘酰亚胺部分的荧光变化来可视化观察。该前药通过受体介导的内吞作用进入细胞并在溶酶体中释放药物分子,然而,释放出的药物分子并未表现出显著的抗癌活性,这可能是因为其内酯环在溶酶体中被
水解,转化为无活性的
羧酸盐形式。