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A Facile and Efficient Approach for the Production of Reversible Disulfide Cross-linked Micelles
Published on: December 23, 2016
Disulfide based prodrugs for cancer therapy
Qiang Wang1, Jiankun Guan1, Jiangling Wan1
1National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology 1037 Luoyu Road Wuhan 430074 China zifuli@hust.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Advances in the tumor microenvironment have facilitated the development of novel anticancer drugs and delivery vehicles for improved therapeutic efficacy and decreased side effects. Disulfide bonds with unique chemical and biophysical properties can be used as cleavable linkers for the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs. Accordingly, small molecule-, peptide-, polymer- and protein-based multifunctional prodrugs bearing cleavable disulfide bonds are well accepted in clinical settings. Herein, we first briefly introduce a number of prodrugs and divide them into three categories, namely, disulfide-containing small molecule conjugates, disulfide-containing cytotoxic agent-targeted fluorescent agent conjugates, and disulfide-containing cytotoxic agent-macromolecule conjugates. Then, we discuss the complex redox environment and the underlying mechanism of free drug release from disulfide based prodrugs in in vivo settings. Based on these insights, we analyze the impact of electronics, steric hindrance and substituent position of the disulfide linker on the extracellular stability and intracellular cleavage rate of disulfide containing prodrugs. Current challenges and future opportunities for the disulfide linker are provided at the end.
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