Synthesis and Characterization of SiO2/nGO/Fe3O4/SeQDs Nanoparticles as Potential Nanocarriers in Drug Delivery Systems.

Herein, we constructed the branch-shaped SiO2/nano GO (nGO)/Fe3O4/selenium quantum dots (QDs) (SeQDs) nanoparticles (SGF/SeQDs) embodying magnetism, fluorescence, and microwave stimulus response properties to enhance the performance of releasing drugs. The SGF/SeQDs composite was characterized by technologies including powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, etc. In the nanoparticles, the branch-shaped SiO2 provides a large specific surface area, nGO as the dielectric loss-style material promotes microwave-absorbing performance, and the Fe3O4 serves as a magnetic targeting agent and microwave absorber. Integrating nGO and Fe3O4 could further strengthen the microwave absorption of the entire composite; selenium features both fluorescence and anticancer effects. The synthesized nanoparticles as carriers exhibited a branch-like mesoporous sphere of ∼260 nm, a specific surface area of 258.57 m2 g-1, a saturation magnetization of 24.59 emu g-1, and good microwave thermal conversion performance that the temperature was elevated from 25 to 70 °C under microwave irradiation. These physical characteristics, including large pore volume (5.30 nm), high specific surface area, and fibrous morphology, are in favor of loading drugs. Meanwhile, the cumulative etoposide (VP16) loading rate of the nanoparticles reached to 21 wt % after 360 min. The noncovalent interaction between the VP16 and SGF/SeQDs was mainly the hydrogen-bonding effect during the loading process. Furthermore, the drug release rates at 180 min were up to 81.46, 61.92, and 56.84 wt % at pH 4, 5, and 7, respectively. At 25, 37, and 50 °C, the rates of drug release reach 25.40, 56.84, and 65.32 wt %, respectively. After microwave stimulation at pH 7, the rate of releasing drug increased distinctly from 56.84 to 71.74 wt % compared to that of nonmicrowave irradiation. Cytotoxicity tests manifested that the carrier had good biocompatibility. Therefore, the nanoparticles are looking forward to paving one platform for further applications in biomedicine and drug delivery systems.

Biosafety evaluation of etoposide lipid nanomedicines in C. elegans.

Neuroblastoma is a pediatric tumor that originates during embryonic development and progresses into aggressive tumors, primarily affecting children under two years old. Many patients are diagnosed as high-risk and undergo chemotherapy, often leading to short- and long-term toxicities. Nanomedicine offers a promising solution to enhance drug efficacy and improve physical properties. In this study, lipid-based nanomedicines were developed with an average size of 140 nm, achieving a high encapsulation efficiency of over 90% for the anticancer drug etoposide. Then, cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing effects of these etoposide nanomedicines were assessed in vitro using human cell lines, both cancerous and non-cancerous. The results demonstrated that etoposide nanomedicines exhibited high toxicity and selectively induced apoptosis only in cancerous cells.Next, the biosafety of these nanomedicines in C. elegans, a model organism, was evaluated by measuring survival, body size, and the effect on dividing cells. The findings showed that the nanomedicines had a safer profile than the free etoposide in this model. Notably, nanomedicines exerted etoposide's antiproliferative effect only in highly proliferative germline cells. Therefore, the developed nanomedicines hold promise as safe drug delivery systems for etoposide, potentially leading to an improved therapeutic index for neuroblastoma treatment.

Sphingomyelin nanosystems loaded with uroguanylin and etoposide for treating metastatic colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to provide new therapeutic options that can improve survival. Sphingomyelin nanosystems (SNs) are a promising type of nanocarriers with potential for association of different types of drugs and, thus, for the development of combination treatments. In this work we propose the chemical modification of uroguanylin, a natural ligand for the Guanylyl Cyclase (GCC) receptor, expressed in metastatic colorectal cancer tumors, to favour its anchoring to SNs (UroGm-SNs). The anti-cancer drug etoposide (Etp) was additionally encapsulated for the development of a combination strategy (UroGm-Etp-SNs). Results from in vitro studies showed that UroGm-Etp-SNs can interact with colorectal cancer cells that express the GCC receptor and mediate an antiproliferative response, which is more remarkable for the drugs in combination. The potential of UroGm-Etp-SNs to treat metastatic colorectal cancer cells was complemented with an in vivo experiment in a xenograft mice model.

Structural optimization, synthesis and in vitro synergistic anticancer activities of combinations of new N3-substituted dihydropyrimidine calcium channel blockers with cisplatin and etoposide.

T-type calcium channels are considered potential drug targets to combat cancer. Combining T-type calcium channel blockers with conventional chemotherapy drugs represents a promising strategy towards successful cancer treatment. From this perspective, we report in this study the design and synthesis of a novel series of N3-sustituted dihydropyrimidines (DHPMs) as anticancer adjuvants to cisplatin (Cis) and etoposide (Eto). Full spectral characterization of the new compounds was done using FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. Structure elucidation was confirmed by 2D NMR 1H-H COSY, HSQC and NOESY experiments. Novel derivatives were tested for their Ca2+ channel blocking activity by employing the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Results demonstrated that most compounds were potential T-type calcium channel blockers with the triazole-based C12 and C13 being the most selective agents against CaV3.2 channel. Further electrophysiological studies demonstrated that C12 and C13 inhibited CaV3.2 currents with respective affinity of 2.26 and 1.27 µM, and induced 5 mV hyperpolarizing shifts in the half-inactivation potential. Subsequently, C12 and C13 were evaluated for their anticancer activities alone and in combination with Cis and Eto against A549 and MDA-MB 231 cancer cells. Interestingly, both compounds exhibited potential anticancer effects with IC50 values < 5 µM. Combination studies revealed that both compounds had synergistic effects (combination index CI < 1) on Cis and Eto through induction of apoptosis (p53 activation and up-regulation of BAX and p21 gene expression). Importantly, in silico physicochemical and ADMET assessment of both compounds revealed their potential drug-like properties with decreased risk of cardiac toxicity. Hence, C12 and C13 are promising anticancer adjuvants through inhibition of CaV3.2 T-type calcium channels, thereby serving as eminent leads for further modification.

Pathways Related to the Anti-Cancer Effects of Metabolites Derived from Cerrado Biome Native Plants: An Update and Bioinformatics Analysis on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is a significant health problem worldwide. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignant neoplasm of epithelial cells that mostly affects different anatomical sites in the head and neck and derives from the squamous epithelium or displays similar morphological characteristics. Generally, OSCC is often the end stage of several changes in the stratified squamous epithelium, which begin as epithelial dysplasia and progress by breaking the basement membrane and invading adjacent tissues. Several plant-based drugs with potent anti-cancer effects are considered inexpensive treatments with limited side effects for cancer and other diseases. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to explore whether some Brazilian plant extracts or constituents exhibit anti-tumorigenic activity or have a cytotoxic effect on human oral carcinoma cells. METHODS: Briefly, OSCC and several metabolites derived from Brazilian plants (i.e., flavonoids, vinblastine, irinotecan, etoposide and paclitaxel) were used as keywords to search the literature on PubMed, GenBank and GeneCards. RESULTS: The results showed that these five chemical compounds found in Cerrado Biome plants exhibit anti-neoplastic effects. Evaluating the compounds revealed that they play a main role in the regulation of cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: Preserving and utilising the biodiversity of our planet, especially in unique ecosystems, such as the Cerrado Biome, may prove essential to preserving and promoting human health in modern contexts.

Self-assembling peptide-etoposide nanofibers for overcoming multidrug resistance.

We developed a new strategy to overcome the MDR of etoposide using self-assembling nanofibers. Compared with the original etoposide, the inhibitory activity of Nap-GFFpYK-etoposide1/2 against murine Lewis lung cancer or breast cancer cells was increased 10 times, and 20 times on these cells with artificially overexpressed MDR1. Our method to synthesize and separate etoposide isomers provides a new strategy for the modification of this drug.

Etoposide Amorphous Nanopowder for Improved Oral Bioavailability: Formulation Development, Optimization, in vitro and in vivo Evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Etoposide refers to a derivative of podophyllotoxin, which plays an important role in the treatment of cancer due to its prominent anti-tumor effect. As a BCS IV drug, etoposide exhibits insufficient aqueous solubility and permeability, thereby limiting its oral absorption. To enhance the oral bioavailability of etoposide, this study developed an amorphous nanopowder. METHODS: Based on preliminary screening and experimental design, the stabilizer and preparation process of etoposide nanosuspension were explored. Subsequently, using a Box-Behnken design, the effects of independent factors (ultrasonication time, ratio of two phases and stabilizer concentration) on response variables (particle size and polydispersity index) were studied, and then the formulation was optimized. Finally, nanosuspension was further freeze dried with 1% of mannitol resulting in the formation of etoposide amorphous nanopowder. RESULTS: The optimized etoposide nanopowder showed as spherical particles with an average particle size and polydispersity index of 211.7 ± 10.4 nm and 0.125 ± 0.028. X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry confirmed the ETO in the nanopowder was amorphous. Compared with coarse powder and physical mixture, etoposide nanopowder achieved significantly enhanced saturated solubility and dissolution in various pH environments. The Cmax and AUC0-t of etoposide nanopowder after oral administration in rats were respectively 2.21 and 2.13 times higher than the crude etoposide suspension. Additionally, the Tmax value of nanopowder was 0.25 h, compared with 0.5 h of reference group. DISCUSSION: In the present study, the optimized amorphous nanopowder could significantly facilitate the dissolution and oral absorption of etoposide and might act as an effective delivery method to enhance its oral bioavailability.

Enhanced oral bioavailability of an etoposide multiple nanoemulsion incorporating a deoxycholic acid derivative-lipid complex.

In this study, a system for oral delivery of etoposide (ETP) was designed to avoid the problems associated with low and variable bioavailability of a commercially available ETP emulsion comprised of polyethylene glycol, glycerol, and citric acid anhydrous. ETP was complexed with low-molecular-weight methylcellulose (ETP/LMC) and loaded into a water-in-oil-in-water multiple nanoemulsion to formulate an ETP/LMC-nanoemulsion (ELNE). To further enhance the oral bioavailability, an ionic complex formed by anionic lipid 1,2-didecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (sodium salt) and cationic N α-deoxycholyl-l-lysyl-methylester was incorporated into ELNE, yielding ELNE#7. As expected, ELNE#7 showed 4.07- and 2.25-fold increases in artificial membrane and Caco-2/HT29-MTX-E12 permeability (Papp ), respectively, resulting in 224% greater oral bioavailability compared with the commercially available ETP emulsion. In contrast, inhibition of clathrin- and caveola-mediated endocytosis, macropinocytosis, and bile acid transporters by chlorpromazine, genistein, amiloride, and actinomycin D in Caco-2/HT-29-MTX-E12 monolayers reduced the Papp by 45.0%, 20.5%, 28.8%, and 31.1%, respectively. These findings suggest that these routes play important roles in enhancing the oral absorption of ELNE#7. In addition, our mechanistic study suggested that P-glycoprotein did not have an inhibitory effect on the permeation of ELNE#7. Notably, ELNE#7 showed significantly enhanced toxicity in LLC and A549 cells compared with ETP-E. These observations support the improved oral absorption of ETP in ELNE#7, suggesting that it is a better alternative than ETP emulsion.

Etoposide and olaparib polymer-coated nanoparticles within a bioadhesive sprayable hydrogel for post-surgical localised delivery to brain tumours.

Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumour with a median survival of 14.6 months from diagnosis. Despite maximal surgical resection and concurrent chemoradiotherapy, reoccurrence is inevitable. To try combating the disease at a stage of low residual tumour burden immediately post-surgery, we propose a localised drug delivery system comprising of a spray device, bioadhesive hydrogel (pectin) and drug nanocrystals coated with polylactic acid-polyethylene glycol (NCPPs), to be administered directly into brain parenchyma adjacent to the surgical cavity. We have repurposed pectin for use within the brain, showing in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility, bio-adhesion to mammalian brain and gelling at physiological brain calcium concentrations. Etoposide and olaparib NCPPs with high drug loading have shown in vitro stability and drug release over 120 h. Pluronic F127 stabilised NCPPs to ensure successful spraying, as determined by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Successful delivery of Cy5-labelled NCPPs was demonstrated in a large ex vivo mammalian brain, with NCPP present in the tissue surrounding the resection cavity. Our data collectively demonstrates the pre-clinical development of a novel localised delivery device based on a sprayable hydrogel containing therapeutic NCPPs, amenable for translation to intracranial surgical resection models for the treatment of malignant brain tumours.

Synthesis and evaluation of etoposide and podophyllotoxin analogs against topoisomerase IIα and HCT-116 cells.

Etoposide is a widely-used anticancer agent that targets human type II topoisomerases. Evidence suggests that metabolism of etoposide in myeloid progenitor cells is associated with translocations involved in leukemia development. Previous studies suggest halogenation at the C-2' position of etoposide reduces metabolism. Halogens were introduced into the C-2' position by electrophilic aromatic halogenation onto etoposide (ETOP, 1), podophyllotoxin (PPT, 2), and 4-dimethylepipodophyllotoxin (DMEP, 3), and to bridge the gap of knowledge regarding the activity of these metabolically stable analogs. Five halogenated analogs (6-10) were synthesized. Analogs 8-10 displayed variable ability to inhibit DNA relaxation. Analog 9 was the only analog to show concentration-dependent enhancement of Top2-mediated DNA cleavage. Dose response assay results indicated that 8 and 10 were most effective at decreasing the viability of HCT-116 and A549 cancer cell lines in culture. Flow cytometry with 8 and 10 in HCT-116 cells provide evidence of sub-G1 cell populations indicative of apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate C-2' halogenation of etoposide and its precursors, although metabolically stable, decreases overall activity relative to etoposide.

Etoposide Loaded SPION-PNIPAM Nanoparticles Improve the in vitro Therapeutic Outcome on Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells via Enhanced Apoptosis.

Prostate cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide because its metastatic form is a deadly disease. Therefore, the development of new chemotherapeutics is of immense importance. Nanoparticle technology seems to provide diverse options in this regard. Therefore, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) loaded with Etoposide were prepared in small sizes (57 nm) and with 3.5 % drug content to improve the efficiency of Etoposide in prostate cancer therapy. Sustained release of the drug was achieved, which found to be sensitive to low pH and high temperature. The anti-growth activity of SPION-PNIPAM-Etoposide formulation against metastatic prostate cancer cells (PC-3, LNCaP) were investigated by SRB assay, then, confirmed by ATP assay. Mode of cell death was evaluated by using flow cytometry analyses. A significant improvement of nanoformulated drug was observed at 5-10 µg/ml doses of the drug in both cell lines. More importantly, this formulation enhanced the cytotoxic effect of Etoposide on PC-3 cells, which is considered more resistant to Etoposide than LNCaP and reduced the IC50 value by 55 % reaching to 4.5 µg drug/ml, which is a very significant improvement in the literature. It was clearly shown that nanoformulated drug provided about 3-fold increases in caspase-dependent early apoptotic cells in PC-3 cells. The novel formulation seems to successfully cause cell death of especially PC-3 metastatic prostate cancer cells. It should therefore be taken into consideration for further animal studies as a novel potent anticancer agent.

High-dose etoposide formulations do not saturate intestinal P-glycoprotein: Development, stability, and pharmacokinetics in Sprague-Dawley rats.

It has been suggested that oral absorption of low-permeable P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrates can be increased through saturation of P-gp. For BCS class IV drug substances, saturating P-gp is challenging due to low aqueous solubility. The present study investigated if the BCS IV drug substance etoposide could be solubilized to a concentration saturating P-gp after oral administration. A formulation consisting of 10% (w/v) of pluronic® F-127 and polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate (PVP/VA), and 57% (v/v) ethanol enhanced etoposide's solubility approximately 100 times (16 mg mL-1) compared to its aqueous solubility. In vitro, this formulation was stable upon dilution in simulated intestinal fluid. In male Sprague-Dawley rats, oral administration of increasing solubilized etoposide doses using the formulation matrix increased the AUC0-∞ of etoposide dose-proportionally but resulted in a lower absolute oral bioavailability (F) and rate of absorption as compared to control. At the highest investigated dose (100 mg kg-1), AUC0-∞ and Cmax were significantly increased by 2.9- and 1.4-fold, respectively, compared to control dosed at 20 mg kg-1. A single oral dose of 20 mg kg-1 zosuquidar followed by 20 mg kg-1 oral etoposide increased F 8.6-fold. In conclusion, a stable formulation with improved etoposide solubility was developed, yet the formulation did not result in increased oral bioavailability of etoposide.

The "adductome": A limited repertoire of adducted proteins in human cells.

Proteins form adducts with nucleic acids in a variety of contexts, and these adducts may be cytotoxic if not repaired. Here we apply a proteomic approach to identification of proteins adducted to DNA or RNA in normally proliferating cells. This approach combines RADAR fractionation of proteins covalently bound to nucleic acids with quantitative mass spectrometry (MS). We demonstrate that "RADAR-MS" can quantify induction of TOP1- or TOP2-DNA adducts in cells treated with topotecan or etoposide, respectively, and also identify intermediates in physiological adduct repair. We validate RADAR-MS for discovery of previously unknown adducts by determining the repertoires of adducted proteins in two different normally proliferating human cell lines, CCRF-CEM T cells and GM639 fibroblasts. These repertoires are significantly similar with one another and exhibit robust correlations in their quantitative profiles (Spearman r = 0.52). A very similar repertoire is identified by the classical approach of CsCl buoyant density gradient centrifugation. We find that in normally proliferating human cells, the repertoire of adducted proteins - the "adductome" - is comprised of a limited number of proteins belonging to specific functional groups, and that it is greatly enriched for histones, HMG proteins and proteins involved in RNA splicing. Treatment with low concentrations of formaldehyde caused little change in the composition of the repertoire of adducted proteins, suggesting that reactive aldehydes generated by ongoing metabolic processes may contribute to protein adduction in normally proliferating cells. The identification of an endogenous adductome highlights the importance of adduct repair in maintaining genomic structure and the potential for deficiencies in adduct repair to contribute to cancer.

Advanced nanoscale carrier-based approaches to overcome biopharmaceutical issues associated with anticancer drug 'Etoposide'.

Etoposide (ETS), topoisomerase-II inhibitor, is a first-line anticancer therapeutics used in diverse cancer types. However, the therapeutic potential of this molecule has mainly impeded due to its detrimental toxicity profile, unfavorable rejection by the cancer cells due to P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux activity, and rapid hepatic clearance through extensive metabolism by Cytochrome-P450. To increase the therapeutic potency without significant adverse effects, the implication of novel ETS-nanoformulation strategies have recommended mainly. Nanomedicine based nanoformulation approaches based on nanoparticles (NPs), dendrimers, carbon-nanotubes (CNTs), liposomes, polymeric micelles, emulsions, dendrimers, solid-lipid NPs, etc offers immense potential opportunities to improve the therapeutic potential of pharmaceutically problematic drugs. This review provides an up-to-date argument on the work done in the field of nanomedicine to resolve pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic issues associated with ETS. The review also expounds the progress in regards to the regulatory, patenting and clinical trials related to the innovative formulation aspects of ETS.

Structure-Activity Relationships of Cytotoxic Lactones as Inhibitors and Mechanisms of Action.

BACKGROUND: Some lactones prevent protein Myb-dependent gene expression. OBJECTIVE: The object is to calculate inhibitors of Myb-brought genetic manifestation. METHODS: Linear quantitative structure-potency relations result expanded, among sesquiterpene lactones of a variety of macrocycles (pseudoguaianolides, guaianolides, eudesmanolides and germacranolides), to establish which part of the molecule constitutes their pharmacophore, and predict their inhibitory potency on Myb-reliant genetic manifestation, which may result helpful as leads for antileukaemic therapies with a new mechanism of action. RESULTS: Several count indices are connected with structure-activity. The α-methylene-γ-lactone ML functional groups increase, whereas OH groups decrease the activity. Hydrophobicity provides to increase cell toxicity. Four counts (ML, number of α, ß-unsaturated CO groups, etc.), connected with the number of oxygens, present a positive association, owing to the partial negative charge of oxygen. The s-trans-strans- germacranolide molecule presents maximal potency. The OH groups decrease the potency owing to the positive charge of hydrogen. The numbers of π-systems and atoms, and polarizability increase the potency. Following least squares, every standard error of the coefficients is satisfactory in every expression. The most predictive linear expressions for lactones, pseudoguaianolides and germacranolides are corroborated by leave-group-out cross-validation. Quadratic equations do not make the correlation better. CONCLUSION: Likely action mechanisms for lactones are argued with a diversity of functional groups in the lactone annulus, including artemisinin with its uncommon macrocycle characteristic, 1,2,4-trioxane cycle (pharmacophoric peroxide linkage -O1-O2- in endoperoxide ring), which results in the foundation for its sole antimalarial potency.

Physical and chemical stability of a generic etoposide formulation as an alternative to etoposide phosphate.

The generic Mylan® etoposide (ETP) has been investigated as an alternative for Etopophos®, in part due to a global shortage of the latter. The generic alternative is different both in its formulation and in its very limited stability (6 h at 25 °C against 4 days for Etopophos®) once reconstituted in ready-to-use chloride or glucose solutions. Its intrinsic stability has been thoroughly studied under various conditions. Two degradation products resulting from hydrolysis were characterized by LC-HR-MSn and supported by density functional theory calculations of the frontier molecular orbitals energies, molecular electrostatic potential mapping, and Mulliken charge analysis. Chemical degradation increases with temperature and can be fitted to a zero order kinetic model with a half-life of 119 days and a kinetic constant of 0.0028 mM day-1. Precipitation was only observed in solutions at 5 °C and -20 °C indicating that at these temperatures the reconstituted solutions are thermodynamically metastable. In conclusion, ETP at concentrations of 0.68 and 1 mM prepared and stored at 25 °C under good manufacturing practices remained unchanged over a period of 21 days irrespective of the nature of the solvents or the type of container.

Structure Based Drug Design and Molecular Docking Studies of Anticancer Molecules Paclitaxel, Etoposide and Topotecan using Novel Ligands.

BACKGROUND: Tubulin is the biochemical target for several clinically used anticancer drugs as it helps in the formation of mitotic spindle during mitosis stage of cell division. Many of the anti-cancer drugs are known to interact with tubulin and microtubules including some plant alkaloids, such as paclitaxel, etoposide and topotecan. In silico drug design of these molecules were performed prior to testing these drugs in vitro. In silico drug design of these anti-cancer drugs becomes a challenge due to the complex structure of target protein. This challenge was overcome by predicting the structure of the target protein (tubulin) by homology modeling. METHODS: In this study, computer aided drug designing approach was applied to predict the suitable docking site in target protein and the interaction of tubulin protein with paclitaxel, etoposide and topotecan was explored by molecular docking using Schrödinger software. Docking score and glide energy were determined with ligands to validate their anticancer properties. RESULTS: The results indicate that etoposide is the best drug for tubulin with a docking score of - 4.916 and glide energy of -46.470 kcal/mol compared to paclitaxel and topotecan. CONCLUSION: The testing of these drugs in silico provides an alternate to in vitro testing of these molecules on cancer cell lines which is a time and cost intensive process. The in silico study of parameters, such as docking score and glide energy, will help pharmacists in developing new molecules as targets for cancers in a time and cost-effective manner.

Real-time monitoring of etoposide prodrug activated by hydrogen peroxide with improved safety.

Etoposide is one of the most used first-line chemotherapeutic drugs. However, its application is still limited by its side effects. Herein, we designed a novel H2O2 sensitive prodrug 6YT for selectively releasing the anti-cancer drug etoposide in cancer cells. In this paper, etoposide and a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensitive aryl borate ester group were linked by a fluorescent coumarin and finally the prodrug 6YT was generated. The fluorescence of coumarin was quenched before the connected aryl borate ester group was cleaved by H2O2. However, in the high level H2O2 environment of the tumor, the fluorescence could be activated simultaneously with the release of etoposide, and the drug release state of the prodrug was monitored real-time. With the support of 6YT, we obtained direct and visual evidence of etoposide release in a high H2O2 environment both in cells and zebrafish. The prodrug 6YT was also verified with comparable activity and improved safety with etoposide both in cells and in a mouse model. As a safe and effective prodrug, 6YT is expected to be one of the promising candidates in chemotherapy against cancer.

A chromenone analog as an ATP-competitive, DNA non-intercalative topoisomerase II catalytic inhibitor with preferences toward the alpha isoform.

5-Hydroxy-2-phenyl-7-(thiiran-2-ylmethoxy)-4H-chromen-4-one (compound 52) was found as a DNA non-intercalative topo II specific catalytic inhibitor by targeting its ATP-binding domain. Showing changes in interaction with Mg2+, it exhibited highly selective properties against the α-isoform with less toxicity, unlike other topo II poisons, such as etoposide.

Copper-Triggered Bioorthogonal Cleavage Reactions for Reversible Protein and Cell Surface Modifications.

Temporal and reversible control over protein and cell conjugations holds great potential for traceless release of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) on tumor sites as well as on-demand altering or removal of targeting elements on cell surface. We herein developed a bioorthogonal and traceless releasable reaction on proteins and intact cells to fulfill such purposes. A systematic survey of transition metals in catalyzing the bioorthogonal cleavage reactions revealed that copper complexes such as Cu(I)-BTTAA and dual-substituted propargyl (dsPra) or propargyloxycarbonyl (dsProc) moieties offered a bioorthogonal releasable pair for reversible blockage and rescue of primary amines and phenol alcohols on small molecule drugs, protein side chains, as well as intact cell surface. For proof-of-concept, we employed such Cu(I)-BTTAA/dsProc and Cu(I)-BTTAA/dsPra pairs as a "traceless linker" strategy to construct cleavable ADCs to unleash cytotoxic compounds on cancer cells in situ and as a "reversible modification" strategy for cell surface engineering. Furthermore, by coupling with the genetic code expansion strategy, we site-specifically modulated ligand-receptor interactions on live cell membranes. Together, our work expanded the transition-metal-mediated bioorthogonal cleavage tool kit from terminal decaging to internal-linker breakage, which offered a temporal and reversible conjugation strategy on therapeutic proteins and cells.