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The Application of Prodrug-based Drug Delivery Strategy in Anticancer Drugs

Nanxin Liu1, Qinhua Chen2, Qingqing Zhang1

  • 1School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China.

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
|September 10, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Prodrug-based drug delivery systems enhance anticancer drug effectiveness by improving solubility, targeting, and controlled release. These advanced strategies optimize drug properties, overcoming limitations of traditional cytotoxic agents for better clinical outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

  • Cytotoxic agents are primary cancer treatments but suffer from toxicity, poor solubility, and low selectivity.
  • These limitations hinder optimal therapeutic efficacy and patient outcomes in clinical settings.
  • Prodrug strategies offer a promising approach to mitigate these inherent drug disadvantages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review recent advancements (5-10 years) in prodrug-based drug delivery systems for cancer therapy.
  • To analyze how these systems address key challenges associated with cytotoxic agents.
  • To highlight the impact of prodrug strategies on drug properties and anticancer efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive literature review focusing on prodrug-based drug delivery systems.
  • Categorization of studies based on four critical aspects: solubility, controlled release, in situ concentration, and targeting.
  • Analysis of ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion) property optimization.

Main Results:

  • Prodrug approaches significantly improve the solubility of poorly soluble cytotoxic agents.
  • Drug delivery systems enable controlled release kinetics, enhancing drug persistence at the tumor site.
  • Strategies for in situ concentration and targeted delivery improve selectivity and reduce systemic toxicity.

Conclusions:

  • Prodrug-based drug delivery systems are a mainstream and effective strategy in modern cancer drug design.
  • These systems optimize cytotoxic agents' properties, leading to enhanced anticancer effects and improved clinical applicability.
  • Continued research in this area holds significant promise for advancing cancer treatment.
Keywords:
Anticancer drugsCytotoxic agents.Drug delivery strategyIn situ concentrationProdrug designTargeted drug delivery

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