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Enzymatic activation of indolequinone-substituted 5-fluorodeoxyuridine prodrugs in hypoxic cells
Yota Jiho1, Ryohsuke Kurihara1, Kiyohiko Kawai2
1Department of Chemistry and Biological Science, College of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara 252-5258, Japan.
Abstract:
Among the various enzymes, reductases that catalyze one-electron reduction are involved in the selective activation of functional compounds or materials in hypoxia, which is one of the well-known pathophysiological characteristics of solid tumors. Enzymatic one-electron reduction has been recognized as a useful reaction that can be applied in the design of tumor hypoxia-targeting drugs. In this report, we characterized the enzymatic reaction of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd) prodrug bearing an indolequinone unit (IQ-FdUrd), which is a substrate of reductases. IQ-FdUrd was activated to release FdUrd under hypoxic conditions after treatment with cytochrome NADPH P450 reductase. We also confirmed that IQ-FdUrd showed selective cytotoxicity in hypoxic tumor cells.
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