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Prodrugs

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Prodrugs are a class of pharmaceutical compounds that undergo a biotransformation process within the body to be converted into a pharmacologically active drug. Prodrugs are designed to improve the therapeutic properties of the parent drug, such as enhancing bioavailability, increasing stability, or reducing toxicity. The concept of prodrugs revolves around modifying the chemical structure of the original drug to make it more effective or convenient for administration.
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Directed Assembly of Elastin-like Proteins into defined Supramolecular Structures and Cargo Encapsulation In Vitro

Directed Assembly of Elastin-like Proteins into defined Supramolecular Structures and Cargo Encapsulation In Vitro

Published on: April 8, 2020

Self-assembling prodrugs.

Andrew G Cheetham¹, Rami W Chakroun, Wang Ma

¹Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 1 Jianshe Eastern Road, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China.

Chemical Society Reviews

|October 12, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Self-assembling prodrugs are novel therapeutic agents that form nanostructures for enhanced drug delivery. This review explores their design, control, and future potential in medicine.

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Area of Science:

Medicinal Chemistry
Nanotechnology
Drug Delivery

Background:

Covalent modification of drugs creates prodrugs with improved pharmacokinetics and administration.
Self-assembling prodrugs spontaneously form supramolecular nanostructures in aqueous solutions.
These nanostructures offer distinct properties for tailored therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the emerging field of self-assembling prodrugs.
To discuss methods for controlling their structure and function.
To provide a perspective on their current and future therapeutic potential.

Main Methods:

Literature review of self-assembling prodrugs in development.
Analysis of strategies for controlling self-assembly and nanostructure formation.
Discussion of structure-property relationships and therapeutic implications.

Main Results:

Self-assembling prodrugs represent a significant expansion of prodrug design.
Tailored nanostructures can be achieved through controlled self-assembly.
These agents show promise for more effective disease treatment.

Conclusions:

Self-assembling prodrugs offer a promising platform for advanced drug delivery systems.
Further research into their design and application is warranted.
They hold potential for next-generation therapies with enhanced efficacy.