Copper ion as a delivery platform for taxanes and taxane complexes

ACCELERATED ONSET OF RETINAL TOXICITY FROM HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE USE WITH CONCOMITANT BREAST CANCER THERAPY

PURPOSE

To report a case of accelerated retinal toxicity due to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) use for treatment of Sjögren syndrome in a patient treated with concomitant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

METHODS

Observational case report.

RESULTS

A 56-year-old white woman using 400 mg HCQ (7.1 mg/kg real body weight) daily for a total of 2 years and 10 months for treatment of Sjögren syndrome with concomitant use of docetaxel and cyclophosphamide therapy (21-day cycle, 4 cycles) followed by anastrozole for breast cancer, presented with visual complaints and findings of severe HCQ toxicity.

CONCLUSION

Concomitant breast cancer therapy may have a synergistic effect with HCQ leading to accelerated retinal toxicity. As such potential acceleration is poorly understood, patients on HCQ who are treated with concomitant chemotherapy should be considered for more frequent retinal screenings to maximize safety and preservation of vision.

A Copper10-Paclitaxel crystal; a medicinally active drug delivery platform

Paclitaxel is a well-known cancer drug that functions as a mitotic inhibitor. This work focuses on a copper based crystal that encapsulates the pharmaceutical agent and serves as a drug delivery agent. A Copper₁₀-Pacitaxil₁ chloride (CU₁₀PAC₁) complex is synthesized and tested against the National Cancer Institute's sixty cell line panel. The 10:1 ratio results in a crystal that was examined by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spec (MALDI-TOF-MS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Proton (¹H) and Carbon (¹³C) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The potential attributes of a copper based crystal as an in vivo drug carrier for Paclitaxel are discussed.

Pharmacokinetic studies of a three-component complex that repurposes the front line antibiotic isoniazid against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The frontline tuberculosis (Tb) antibiotic isoniazid has been repurposed using a three component complex aimed at increasing the delivery efficiency and adding new avenues to its mechanism of action. This study focuses on pharmacokinetic studies of the isoniazid-sucrose-copper (II)-PEG-3350 complex. The assays include the Plasma Protein Binding Assay (85.8%), Caco-2 Permeability Assay (B→AP_app, 0.13 × 10^-6 cm/s), Cytochrome P450 Inhibition Assay (i.e. CYP2B6, IC₅₀ = 7.26 μM), In vitro microsomal Stability Assay (t_1/2 NADPH-Dependent > 240 min), and HepG2 Cytotoxicity (no toxicity). The National Cancer Institute's 60 cell line panel is used to measure activity against cancer cells. The percent growth values averaged over all 60 cell lines indicates the complex has no anti-cancer activity, which also suggests a lack of general toxicity. It also provides data for the complexes specificity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Cell line studies and analytical measurements of three paclitaxel complex variations

The copper(II) cation, sucrose, and hydroxychloroquine were complexed with the chemotherapy agent paclitaxel and studied for medicinal activity. Data (GI₅₀, LD₅₀) from single dose and five dose National Cancer Institute sixty cell line panels are presented. Analytical measurements of different complexes were made using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR), Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR). Molecular modeling is utilized to better understand the impact that species could have on physical parameters associated with Lipinski's Rule of Five, such as logP and TPSA. On average, Cu(II) and hydroxychloroquine decreased GI₅₀ values, while sucrose increased GI₅₀ values of paclitaxel.

Isolation, analytical measurements, and cell line studies of the iron-bryostatin-1 complex

Bryostatin-1 is a marine natural product that has demonstrated medicinal activity in pre-clinical and clinical trials for the treatment of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, effects of stroke, and HIV. In this study, iron-bryostatin-1 was obtained using a pharmaceutical aquaculture technique developed by our lab that cultivates marine bacteria for marine natural product extraction. Analytical measurements (1)H and (13)C NMR, mass spectrometry, and flame atomic absorption were utilized to confirm the presence of an iron-bryostatin-1 complex. The iron-bryostatin-1 complex produced was then tested against the National Cancer Institute's 60 cell line panel. Adding iron to bryostatin-1 lowered the anti-cancer efficacy of the compound.