Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Prodrugs

Prodrugs

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.
Prodrugs help overcome...

Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism

Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism

Synergism is a useful mechanism where combining two or more drugs is more effective than each constituent used alone. Such combinations are also called supra-additive interactions. The drugs collectively enhance the final therapeutic effect by acting on different targets. Another advantage is that the low dose of each constituent drug is sufficient to achieve the desired effect. This helps reduce the duration of therapy and lower the adverse effects of these drugs.
Such synergistic combinations...

Drug Biotransformation: Overview

Drug Biotransformation: Overview

Pharmaceutical substances known as xenobiotics are predominantly lipophilic and nonionized. This enables them to permeate lipid bilayers, such as cell membranes, and interact with intracellular target receptors. Lipophilic drugs have an advantage in crossing biological barriers and reaching their intended sites of action. However, lipophilic drugs often have a restricted capacity for renal expulsion or elimination from the body. When these drugs enter the kidneys and undergo glomerular...

Drug Metabolism: Phase II Reactions

Drug Metabolism: Phase II Reactions

Phase II reactions are essential for the detoxification and elimination of drugs from the body. These reactions involve the conjugation of parent drugs or their phase I metabolites with endogenous molecules, resulting in more hydrophilic drug conjugates. The primary conjugation reactions in this phase are sulfation and glucuronidation. Both sulfation and glucuronidation typically produce biologically inactive metabolites. However, in some cases involving prodrugs, active metabolites may be...

Drug Nomenclature

Drug Nomenclature

During the development of a new pharmaceutical, the manufacturer initially assigns a code name to the drug. Once approved, the drug receives a United States Adopted Name (USAN)—a generic, nonproprietary designation. Upon being listed in the United States Pharmacopeia, this nonproprietary name becomes the drug's official name. Additionally, the manufacturer assigns a proprietary name or trademark, which serves as the brand name under which the drug is marketed. It is worth noting that...

Principles of Drug Action

Principles of Drug Action

Drugs are chemical substances that modify biological responses by interacting with macromolecular targets such as receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes. Pharmacodynamics describes the course of action of drugs leading to the physiological effect at a specific site in the body.
Drugs can be agonists or antagonists. Like the endogenous ligands, agonists always bind and activate the target to produce a cellular response. Agonist binding induces a conformational change which in turn...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Hybrids/Conjugates/Chimera Drugs-Antimicrobial Hybrids: Antibiotics, Antifungals, Antituberculars, Antimalarials.

Current medicinal chemistry·2025

Same author

Hybrid/Chimera Drugs - Part 1 - Drug Hybrids Affecting Diseases of the Central Nervous System.

Current medicinal chemistry·2024

Same author

Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of gabactyzine, a benactyzine-GABA mutual prodrug, as an organophosphate antidote.

Scientific reports·2022

Same author

An evaluation of the interaction of pixantrone with formaldehyde-releasing drugs in cancer cells.

Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology·2022

Same author

Valproic Acid Prodrug Affects Selective Markers, Augments Doxorubicin Anticancer Activity and Attenuates Its Toxicity in a Murine Model of Aggressive Breast Cancer.

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)·2021

Same author

Dimeric Drugs.

Current medicinal chemistry·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 17, 2025

Preparation and Characterization of Lipophilic Doxorubicin Pro-drug Micelles

Preparation and Characterization of Lipophilic Doxorubicin Pro-drug Micelles

Published on: August 2, 2016

Mutual Prodrugs - Codrugs.

Abraham Nudelman¹

¹Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel.

Current Medicinal Chemistry

|December 12, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mutual prodrugs link multiple active drugs for enhanced therapeutic effects. These compounds release active molecules upon administration, offering synergistic or targeted drug delivery for various diseases.

Keywords:

Mutual prodrugs biological activity codrugs drug synergism linking bridges metabolic activation

More Related Videos

Facile Preparation and Photoactivation of Prodrug-Dye Nanoassemblies

Facile Preparation and Photoactivation of Prodrug-Dye Nanoassemblies

Published on: February 17, 2023

High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method

High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method

Published on: May 21, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 17, 2025

Preparation and Characterization of Lipophilic Doxorubicin Pro-drug Micelles

Preparation and Characterization of Lipophilic Doxorubicin Pro-drug Micelles

Published on: August 2, 2016

Facile Preparation and Photoactivation of Prodrug-Dye Nanoassemblies

Facile Preparation and Photoactivation of Prodrug-Dye Nanoassemblies

Published on: February 17, 2023

High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method

High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method

Published on: May 21, 2018

Area of Science:

Medicinal Chemistry
Pharmacology
Drug Discovery

Background:

Mutual prodrugs and codrugs involve linking two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) via a metabolically labile linker.
This strategy aims to improve drug efficacy, targeting, or reduce side effects by releasing APIs in vivo.
The concept has gained traction since 2000 for treating complex diseases.

Approach:

This review synthesizes research on mutual prodrugs/codrugs reported primarily since 2000.
It categorizes compounds based on their linked moieties and bridging entities.
The focus is on understanding the in vivo release mechanisms and resulting pharmacological effects.

Key Points:

Mutual prodrugs release active molecules through bridge cleavage after administration.
Released drugs can act synergistically, or one may act as a carrier for the other.
Optimal outcomes are seen when released drugs have similar efficacy concentrations and target similar diseases (e.g., dual analgesics, anticancer agents).

Conclusions:

Mutual prodrugs/codrugs show promise for treating a wide range of conditions, including pain, inflammation, cancer, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The design of effective mutual prodrugs relies on selecting appropriate APIs and linkers for synergistic or targeted delivery.
This approach represents a significant advancement in drug development for complex therapeutic challenges.