Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Bioimaging Research Team, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea.
Biomaterials. 2016 Oct;104:119-28. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.07.010. Epub 2016 Jul 14.
Hypoxia, a distinguished feature of various solid tumors, has been considered as a key marker for tumor progression. Inadequate vasculature and high interstitial pressures result in relatively poor drug delivery to these tumors. Herein, we developed an antitumor theranostic agent, 4, which is activated in hypoxic conditions and can be used for the diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors. Compound 4, bearing biotin, a tumor-targeting unit, and SN38, an anticancer drug, proved to be an effective theranostic agent for solid tumors. SN38 plays a dual role: as an anticancer drug for therapy and as a fluorophore for diagnosis, thus avoids an extra fluorophore and limits cytotoxicity. Compound 4, activated in the hypoxic environment, showed high therapeutic activity in A549 and HeLa cells and spheroids. In vivo imaging of solid tumors confirmed the tumor-specific localization, deep tissue penetration and activation of compound 4, as well as the production of a strong anticancer effect through the inhibition of tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model validating it as a promising strategy for the treatment of solid tumors.
缺氧是各种实体瘤的显著特征,被认为是肿瘤进展的关键标志物。由于血管不足和间质压力高,这些肿瘤的药物输送效果相对较差。在这里,我们开发了一种抗肿瘤治疗药物 4,它可以在缺氧条件下被激活,用于诊断和治疗实体瘤。该化合物 4 具有生物素(一种肿瘤靶向单元)和 SN38(一种抗癌药物),被证明是实体瘤的有效治疗药物。SN38 具有双重作用:作为治疗药物的抗癌药物和诊断的荧光团,因此避免了额外的荧光团并限制了细胞毒性。在 A549 和 HeLa 细胞和球体中,在缺氧环境下激活的化合物 4 表现出了很高的治疗活性。在实体瘤的体内成像中证实了化合物 4 的肿瘤特异性定位、深层组织穿透和激活,以及通过抑制肿瘤生长产生强烈的抗癌作用,这验证了它作为治疗实体瘤的一种有前途的策略。