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Subbaiah MAM, Rautio J, Meanwell NA. Prodrugs as empowering tools in drug discovery and development: recent strategic applications of drug delivery solutions to mitigate challenges associated with lead compounds and drug candidates. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:2099-2210. [PMID: 38226865 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00957a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
The delivery of a drug to a specific organ or tissue at an efficacious concentration is the pharmacokinetic (PK) hallmark of promoting effective pharmacological action at a target site with an acceptable safety profile. Sub-optimal pharmaceutical or ADME profiles of drug candidates, which can often be a function of inherently poor physicochemical properties, pose significant challenges to drug discovery and development teams and may contribute to high compound attrition rates. Medicinal chemists have exploited prodrugs as an informed strategy to productively enhance the profiles of new chemical entities by optimizing the physicochemical, biopharmaceutical, and pharmacokinetic properties as well as selectively delivering a molecule to the site of action as a means of addressing a range of limitations. While discovery scientists have traditionally employed prodrugs to improve solubility and membrane permeability, the growing sophistication of prodrug technologies has enabled a significant expansion of their scope and applications as an empowering tool to mitigate a broad range of drug delivery challenges. Prodrugs have emerged as successful solutions to resolve non-linear exposure, inadequate exposure to support toxicological studies, pH-dependent absorption, high pill burden, formulation challenges, lack of feasibility of developing solid and liquid dosage forms, first-pass metabolism, high dosing frequency translating to reduced patient compliance and poor site-specific drug delivery. During the period 2012-2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 50 prodrugs, which amounts to 13% of approved small molecule drugs, reflecting both the importance and success of implementing prodrug approaches in the pursuit of developing safe and effective drugs to address unmet medical needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murugaiah A M Subbaiah
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Biocon Bristol Myers Squibb R&D Centre, Biocon Park, Bommasandra Phase IV, Bangalore, PIN 560099, India.
| | - Jarkko Rautio
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Nicholas A Meanwell
- The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Doylestown, PA 18902, USA
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, The College of Pharmacy, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Shah S, Patel V. Targeting posterior eye infections with colloidal carriers: The case of Ganciclovir. Int J Pharm 2023; 645:123427. [PMID: 37729977 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The ocular system, unlike any other human body organ, is a system in which foreign bodies appear quite defenceless in front of the eye. Several infections of the ocular system occur due to various opportunistic conditions. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the opportunivores that causes several posterior eye infections. Ganciclovir (GCV),9-(2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethoxymethyl), is aguanine-antiviral agent primarily used to treat CMV diseases. However, the major challenge is of lower bioavailability. Hence, GCV must be dosed repeatedly to enhance drug absorption. but this causes side effects like neutropenia and bone marrow suppression. So, formulators have used alternative formulation strategies such as prodrug formulation and colloidal drug delivery systems. In the prodrug strategy, they attempted to bind various compounds into the parent drug to increase the permeability and bioavailability of GCV. In colloidal drug delivery systems, mucoadhesive microspheres, nanoparticles, Niosome and liposome were employed to extend the drug residence time at the application site. This paper discusses several colloidal carriers combined with GCV to treat opportunistic CMV infection in the posterior ocular system. It reviews the limitations of conventional ocular therapy and explores various novel formulation approaches to improve the ocular bioavailability of GCV in the posterior chamber of the eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srushti Shah
- Parul Institute of Pharmacy, ParulUniversity, Gujarat 391760, India.
| | - Vandana Patel
- Krishna School of Pharmacy and Research, KPGU, Gujarat 391240, India
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Long X, Qiu Y, Zhang Z, Wu M. Insight for Immunotherapy of HCMV Infection. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:2899-2911. [PMID: 34345215 PMCID: PMC8326118 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.58127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a ubiquitous in humans, has a high prevalence rate. Young people are susceptible to HCMV infection in developing countries, while older individuals are more susceptible in developed countries. Most patients have no obvious symptoms from the primary infection. Studies have indicated that the virus has gradually adapted to the host immune system. Therefore, the control of HCMV infection requires strong immune modulation. With the recent advances in immunotherapy, its application to HCMV infections is receiving increasing attention. Here, we discuss the immune response to HCMV infection, the immune escape mechanism, and the different roles that HCMV plays in various types of immunotherapy, including vaccines, adoptive cell therapy, checkpoint blockade therapy, and targeted antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinmiao Long
- Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 , Hunan, China
- Department of Pathogeny Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Yi Qiu
- Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 , Hunan, China
- Department of Pathogeny Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Zuping Zhang
- Department of Pathogeny Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Minghua Wu
- Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 , Hunan, China
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Markovic M, Ben-Shabat S, Keinan S, Aponick A, Zimmermann EM, Dahan A. Prospects and Challenges of Phospholipid-Based Prodrugs. Pharmaceutics 2018; 10:pharmaceutics10040210. [PMID: 30388756 PMCID: PMC6321354 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics10040210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, the prodrug approach is used already at the early stages of drug development. Lipidic prodrug approach is a growing field for improving a number of drug properties/delivery/therapy aspects, and can offer solutions for various unmet needs. This approach includes drug moiety bound to the lipid carrier, which can be triglyceride, fatty acids, steroid, or phospholipid (PL). The focus of this article is PL-based prodrugs, which includes a PL carrier covalently bound to the active drug moiety. An overview of relevant physiological lipid processing pathways and absorption barriers is provided, followed by drug delivery/therapeutic application of PL-drug conjugates, as well as computational modeling techniques, and a modern bioinformatics tool that can aid in the optimization of PL conjugates. PL-based prodrugs have increased lipophilicity comparing to the parent drug, and can therefore significantly improve the pharmacokinetic profile and overall bioavailability of the parent drug, join the endogenous lipid processing pathways and therefore accomplish drug targeting, e.g., by lymphatic transport, drug release at specific target site(s), or passing the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, an exciting gateway for treating inflammatory diseases and cancer is presented, by utilizing the PL sn-2 position in the prodrug design, aiming for PLA₂-mediated activation. Overall, a PL-based prodrug approach shows great potential in improving different drug delivery/therapy aspects, and is expected to grow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Markovic
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Shimon Ben-Shabat
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | | | - Aaron Aponick
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA.
| | - Ellen M Zimmermann
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
| | - Arik Dahan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
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