Monoclonal antibody L6-daunomycin conjugates constructed to release free drug at the lower pH of tumor tissue.

Measurements in cancer patients showed that the pH of tumors averages 0.8 unit lower than that of the surrounding normal tissues, confirming published work. Based on this, the anti-carcinoma monoclonal antibody (mAb) L6 was used to prepare immunoconjugates with daunomycin (DM), the drug being released at the acidic pH of the tumor. A direct linking of the aconitic derivative of DM (AcoDM) to mAb L6 led to conjugates that either had a low drug/antibody ratio (less than 5:1) or precipitated in vitro. In order to increase the drug load and avoid precipitation, several biopolymers were tested as spacers between the drug and the L6. To attach the polymer derivative to the mAb, the former was maleimidized and the mAb was thiolated. The AcoM/mAb ratio obtained was 20, and the mAb retained its highly specific binding to tumor cells. At pH 6 the AcoDM-L6 conjugate was toxic to cultured C-3347 carcinoma cells with an inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 5 micrograms/ml. The conjugate was less effective than the free DM with an IC50 of 0.2 micrograms/ml. The L6 alone was not toxic. At a tumor pH of 6.5, 15% of the AcoDM was released. The amount of released drug reached a maximum 24-48 h after exposure to the acidic medium. In vivo localization studies demonstrated a similar tumor uptake of the conjugate and mAb L6 with 18% of the injected dose/g tumor and a maximum uptake in tumor 48 h after injection. Our data indicate that it is possible to construct conjugates based on a pH-sensitive linker that can be targeted successfully to a tumor with release of a portion of the drug at the tumor site, but testing is needed to establish whether such release has anti-tumor activity in vivo and offers an advantage over treatment with unconjugated drug.