5-Aminosalicylic Acid Azo-Coupled with a GPR109A Agonist Is a Colon-Targeted Anticolitic Codrug with a Reduced Risk of Skin Toxicity

Sustained release of 5-aminosalicylic acid from azoreductase-responsive polymeric prodrugs for prolonged colon-targeted colitis therapy

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a challenging inflammatory gastrointestinal disorder, whose therapies encounter limitations in overcoming insufficient colonic retention and rapid systemic clearance. In this study, we report an innovative polymeric prodrug nanoformulation for targeted UC treatment through sustained 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) delivery. Amphiphilic polymer-based 13.5 nm micelles were engineered to incorporate azo-linked 5-ASA prodrug motifs, enabling cleavage via colonic azoreductases. In vitro, micelles exhibited excellent stability under gastric/intestinal conditions while demonstrating controlled 5-ASA release over 24 h in colonic fluids. Orally administered micelles revealed prolonged 24-h retention and a high accumulation within inflamed murine colonic tissue. At an approximately 60% dose reduction from those most advanced recent studies, the platform halted DSS colitis progression and outperformed standard 5-ASA therapy through a 77-97% suppression of inflammatory markers. Histological analysis confirmed intact colon morphology and restored barrier protein expression. This integrated prodrug nanoformulation addresses limitations in colon-targeted UC therapy through localized bioactivation and tailored pharmacokinetics, suggesting the potential of nanotechnology-guided precision delivery to transform disease management.

Signaling pathways in cancer metabolism: mechanisms and therapeutic targets

A wide spectrum of metabolites (mainly, the three major nutrients and their derivatives) can be sensed by specific sensors, then trigger a series of signal transduction pathways and affect the expression levels of genes in epigenetics, which is called metabolite sensing. Life body regulates metabolism, immunity, and inflammation by metabolite sensing, coordinating the pathophysiology of the host to achieve balance with the external environment. Metabolic reprogramming in cancers cause different phenotypic characteristics of cancer cell from normal cell, including cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, etc. Metabolic disorders in cancer cells further create a microenvironment including many kinds of oncometabolites that are conducive to the growth of cancer, thus forming a vicious circle. At the same time, exogenous metabolites can also affect the biological behavior of tumors. Here, we discuss the metabolite sensing mechanisms of the three major nutrients and their derivatives, as well as their abnormalities in the development of various cancers, and discuss the potential therapeutic targets based on metabolite-sensing signaling pathways to prevent the progression of cancer.

Colon-Targeted Trans-Cinnamic Acid Ameliorates Rat Colitis by Activating GPR109A

We designed colon-targeted trans-cinnamic acid (tCA) and synthesized its conjugates with glutamic acid (tCA-GA) and aspartic acid (tCA-AA). We evaluated the anti-colitic activity of colon-targeted tCA using a dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced rat colitis model. The conjugates lowered the distribution coefficient and Caco-2 cell permeability of tCA and converted to tCA in the cecum, with higher rates and percentages with tCA-GA than with tCA-AA. Following oral gavage, tCA-GA delivered a higher amount of tCA to the cecum and exhibited better anti-colitic effects than tCA and sulfasalazine (SSZ), which is the current treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. In the cellular assay, tCA acted as a full agonist of GPR109A (EC50: 530 µM). The anti-colitic effects of tCA-GA were significantly compromised by the co-administration of the GPR109A antagonist, mepenzolate. Collectively, colon-targeted tCA potentiated the anti-colitic activity of tCA by effectively activating GPR109A in the inflamed colon, enabling tCA to elicit therapeutic superiority over SSZ.

A Colon-Targeted Prodrug of Riluzole Improves Therapeutic Effectiveness and Safety upon Drug Repositioning of Riluzole to an Anti-Colitic Drug

Riluzole (RLZ) is a neuroprotective drug indicated for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To examine the feasibility of RLZ for repositioning as an anti-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) drug, RLZ (2, 5, and 10 mg/kg) was administered orally to rats with colitis induced by 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid. Oral RLZ was effective against rat colitis in a dose-dependent manner, which was statistically significant at doses over 5 mg/kg. To address safety issues upon repositioning and further improve anti-colitic effectiveness, RLZ was coupled with salicylic acid (SA) via an azo-bond to yield RLZ-azo-SA (RAS) for the targeted colonic delivery of RLZ. Upon oral gavage, RAS (oral RAS) was efficiently delivered to and activated to RLZ in the large intestine, and systemic absorption of RLZ was substantially reduced. Oral RAS ameliorated colonic damage and inflammation in rat colitis and was more effective than oral RLZ and sulfasalazine, a current anti-IBD drug. Moreover, oral RAS potently inhibited glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) in the inflamed distal colon, leading to the suppression of NFκB activity and an increase in the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10. Taken together, RAS, which enables RLZ to be delivered to and inhibit GSK3β in the inflamed colon, may facilitate repositioning of RLZ as an anti-IBD drug.

5-Aminosalicylic acid ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice by modulating gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism

Colitis develops via the convergence of environmental, microbial, immunological, and genetic factors. The medicine 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is widely used in clinical practice for colitis (especially ulcerative colitis) treatment. However, the significance of gut microbiota in the protective effect of 5-ASA on colitis has not been explored. Using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model, we found that 5-ASA ameliorated colitis symptoms in DSS-treated mice, accompanied by increased body weight gain and colon length, and a decrease in disease activity index (DAI) score and spleen index. Also, 5-ASA alleviated DSS-induced damage to colonic tissues, as indicated by suppressed inflammation and decreased tight junction, mucin, and water-sodium transport protein levels. Moreover, the 16S rDNA gene sequencing results illustrated that 5-ASA reshaped the disordered gut microbiota community structure in DSS-treated mice by promoting the abundance of Bifidobacterium, Lachnoclostridium, and Anaerotruncus, and reducing the content of Alloprevotella and Desulfovibrio. Furthermore, 5-ASA improved the abnormal metabolism of bile acids (BAs) by regulating the Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and Takeda G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) signaling pathways in DSS-treated mice. In contrast, 5-ASA did not prevent the occurrence of colitis in mice with gut microbiota depletion, confirming the essential role of gut microbiota in colitis treatment by 5-ASA. In conclusion, 5-ASA can ameliorate DSS-induced colitis in mice by modulating gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism. These findings documented the new therapeutic mechanisms of 5-ASA in clinical colitis treatment.

Discovery of a Colon-Targeted Azo Prodrug of Tofacitinib through the Establishment of Colon-Specific Delivery Systems Constructed by 5-ASA-PABA-MAC and 5-ASA-PABA-Diamine for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

To mitigate the systemic adverse effects of tofacitinib, 5-ASA-PABA-MAC and 5-ASA-PABA-diamine colon-specific delivery systems were constructed, and tofacitinib azo prodrugs 9 and 20a-20g were synthesized accordingly. The release studies suggested that these systems could effectively release tofacitinib in vitro, and the 5-ASA-PABA-diamine system could successfully realize the colon targeting of tofacitinib in vivo. Specifically, compound 20g displayed a 3.67-fold decrease of plasma AUC_{(tofacitinib, 0-∞)} and a 9.61-fold increase of colonic AUC_{(tofacitinib, 0-12h)}, compared with tofacitinib at a molar equivalent oral dose. Moreover, mouse models suggested that compound 20g (1.5 mg/kg) could achieve roughly the same efficacy against ulcerative colitis compared with tofacitinib (10 mg/kg) and did not impair natural killer cells. These results demonstrated the feasibility of compound 20g as an effective alternative to mitigate the systemic adverse effects of tofacitinib, and 5-ASA-PABA-MAC and 5-ASA-PABA-diamine systems were proven to be effective for colon-specific drug delivery.

Current situation and progress of drugs for reducing intraocular pressure

Glaucoma, the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, usually causes characteristic optic nerve damage. Pathological intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation is a major risk factor. Drug reduction of IOP is the preferred treatment for clinicians because it can delay the progression of disease. However, the traditional IOP-lowering drugs currently used by patients may be poorly tolerated. Therefore, in recent years, some new drugs have been put into clinical application or in clinical phase I–III studies. They have a better IOP-lowering effect and fewer adverse reactions. Because glaucoma is a chronic disease, drugs need to be administered continuously for a long time. For patients, good compliance and high drug bioavailability have a positive effect on the prognosis of the disease. Therefore, clinicians and scientists have developed drug delivery systems to solve this complex problem. In addition, natural compounds and dietary supplements have a good effect of reducing IOP, and they can also protect the optic nerve through antioxidant action. We summarize the current traditional drugs, new drugs, sustained-release drug delivery systems, and complementary drugs and outline the mechanism of action and clinical effects of these drugs on glaucoma and their recent advances.

Nitric Oxide Photoreleasers with Fluorescent Reporting

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a multifaceted role in human physiology and pathophysiology, and its controlled delivery has great prospects in therapeutic applications. The light-activated uncaging of NO from NO caging compounds allows this free radical to be released with accurate control of site and dosage, which strictly determine its biological effects. Molecular constructs able to activate fluorescence concomitantly to NO release offer the important advantage of easy and real-time tracking of the amount of NO uncaged in a non-invasive fashion even in the cell environment. This contribution provides an overview of the advances in photoactivatable NO releasers bearing fluorescent reporting functionalities achieved in our and other laboratories, highlighting the rationale design and their potential therapeutic applications.

Nanochemistry Modulates Intracellular Decomposition Routes of S-Nitrosothiol Modified Silica-Based Nanoparticles

Cellular delivery of nitric oxide (NO) using NO donor moieties such as S-nitrosothiol (SNO) is of great interest for various applications. However, understandings of the intracellular decomposition routes of SNO toward either NO or ammonia (NH₃ ) production are surprisingly scarce. Herein, the first report of SNO modified mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles with tetrasulfide bonds for enhanced intracellular NO delivery, ≈10 times higher than a commercial NO donor, is presented. The tetrasulfide chemistry modulates the SNO decomposition by shifting from NH₃ to NO production in glutathione rich cancer cells. This study provides a new strategy to control the NO level in biological systems.

Preparation and Evaluation of Colon-Targeted Prodrugs of the Microbial Metabolite 3-Indolepropionic Acid as an Anticolitic Agent

Microbial metabolites play a critical role in mucosal homeostasis by mediating physiological communication between the host and colonic microbes, whose perturbation may lead to gut inflammation. The microbial metabolite 3-indolepropionic acid (3-IPA) is one such communication mediator with potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity. To apply the metabolite for the treatment of colitis, 3-IPA was coupled with acidic amino acids to yield colon-targeted 3-IPA, 3-IPA-aspartic acid (IPA-AA) and 3-IPA-glutamic acid (IPA-GA). Both conjugates were activated to 3-IPA in the cecal contents, which occurred faster for IPA-AA. Oral gavage of IPA-AA (oral IPA-AA) delivered a millimolar concentration of IPA-AA to the cecum, liberating 3-IPA. In a 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS)-induced rat colitis model, oral IPA-AA ameliorated rat colitis and was less effective than sulfasalazine (SSZ), a current anti-inflammatory bowel disease drug. To enhance the anticolitic activity of 3-IPA, it was azo-linked with the GPR109 agonist 5-aminonicotinic acid (5-ANA) to yield IPA-azo-ANA, expecting a mutual anticolitic action. IPA-azo-ANA (activated to 5-ANA and 2-amino-3-IPA) exhibited colon specificity in in vitro and in vivo experiments. Oral IPA-azo-ANA mitigated colonic damage and inflammation and was more effective than SSZ. These results suggest that colon-targeted 3-IPA ameliorated rat colitis and its anticolitic activity could be enhanced by codelivery of the GPR109A agonist 5-ANA.

Visible light-activatable cyclodextrin-conjugates for the efficient delivery of nitric oxide with fluorescent reporter and their inclusion complexes with betaxolol

Water-soluble β-CD conjugates release NO with high performances with blue and green light, liberate a fluorescent co-products useful for the real-time monitoring of the NO concentration and encapsulate additional guests within the hydrophobic cavity.

Effect of dietary modification and antioxidant supplementation on intraocular pressure and open-angle glaucoma

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is an age-dependent, intraocular pressure (IOP)-related degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells (RGC). At present, IOP is the only modifiable factor that has been identified to prevent glaucomatous vision loss. Though the pathogenesis of glaucomatous optic neuropathy is still not well understood, increasing evidence suggests oxidative stress may contribute to the induction and progression of glaucoma. Furthermore, antioxidant use may be protective against glaucoma through various mechanisms, including reducing IOP, preserving vascular health, and preventing ganglion cell loss. This article provides a comprehensive review of the effect of oxidative stress, diet, and antioxidant therapy on IOP and open-angle glaucoma.