Cascade Transformations of 1-R-Ethynyl-9,10-anthraquinones with Amidines: Expanding Access to Isoaporphinoid Alkaloids

The interaction of acetamidine and phenylamidine with peri-R-ethynyl-9,10-anthraquinones in refluxing n-butanol leads to the formation of cascade transformations products: addition/elimination/cyclization―2-R-7H-dibenzo[de,h]quinolin-7-ones and(or) 2-R-3-aroyl-7H-dibenzo[de,h]quinolin-7-ones. The anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties of the new 2-R-7H-dibenzo[de,h]quinolin-7-ones were investigated in vivo, in vitro, and in silico. The synthesized compounds exhibit high anti-inflammatory activity at dose 20 mg/kg (intraperitoneal injection) in the models of exudative (histamine-induced) and immunogenic (concanavalin A-induced) inflammation. Molecular docking data demonstrate that quinolinones can potentially intercalate into DNA similarly to the antitumor drug doxorubicin.

A pH-Responsive Zwitterionic Polyurethane Prodrug as Drug Delivery System for Enhanced Cancer Therapy

Numerous nanocarriers with excellent biocompatibilities have been used to improve cancer therapy. However, nonspecific protein adsorption of nanocarriers may block the modified nanoparticles in tumor cells, which would lead to inefficient cellular internalization. To address this issue, pH-responsive polyurethane prodrug micelles with a zwitterionic segment were designed and prepared. The micelle consisted of a zwitterionic segment as the hydrophilic shell and the drug Adriamycin (DOX) as the hydrophobic inner core. As a pH-responsive antitumor drug delivery system, the prodrug micelles showed high stability in a physiological environment and continuously released the drug under acidic conditions. In addition, the pure polyurethane carrier was demonstrated to be virtually non-cytotoxic by cytotoxicity studies, while the prodrug micelles were more efficient in killing tumor cells compared to PEG-PLGA@DOX. Furthermore, the DOX cellular uptake efficiency of prodrug micelles was proved to be obviously higher than the control group by both flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. This is mainly due to the modification of a zwitterionic segment with PU. The simple design of zwitterionic prodrug micelles provides a new strategy for designing novel antitumor drug delivery systems with enhanced cellular uptake rates.

The Therapeutic Effect of Human Serum Albumin Dimer-Doxorubicin Complex against Human Pancreatic Tumors

Human serum albumin (HSA) is a versatile drug carrier with active tumor targeting capacity for an antitumor drug delivery system. Nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-technology, such as nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane®︎), has attracted significant interest in drug delivery research. Recently, we demonstrated that HSA dimer (HSA-d) possesses a higher tumor distribution than HSA monomer (HSA-m). Therefore, HSA-d is more suitable as a drug carrier for antitumor therapy and can improve nab technology. This study investigated the efficacy of HSA-d-doxorubicin (HSA-d-DOX) as next-generation nab technology for tumor treatment. DOX conjugated to HSA-d via a tunable pH-sensitive linker for the controlled release of DOX. Lyophilization did not affect the particle size of HSA-d-DOX or the release of DOX. HSA-d-DOX showed significantly higher cytotoxicity than HSA-m-DOX in vitro. In the SUIzo Tumor-2 (SUIT2) human pancreatic tumor subcutaneous inoculation model, HSA-d-DOX could significantly inhibit tumor growth without causing serious side effects, as compared to the HSA binding DOX prodrug, which utilized endogenous HSA as a nano-drug delivery system (DDS) carrier. These results indicate that HSA-d could function as a natural solubilizer of insoluble drugs and an active targeting carrier in intractable tumors with low vascular permeability, such as pancreatic tumors. In conclusion, HSA-d can be an effective drug carrier for the antitumor drug delivery system against human pancreatic tumors.

FEATURES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LYOPHILIZED INJECTABLE DOSAGE FORM OF THE ORIGINAL ANTICANCER DRUG LCS-1208

Objective: Development of a lyophilized injectable dosage form LCS-1208, an original antitumor drug based on an indolocarbazole derivative. Methods: The prepared solution of the injectable dosage form LCS-1208 is transferred to sterilizing filtration, which is carried out under vacuum on a «Stericup» filter unit with a filter pore size of 0.22 μm. The sterile solution of the injectable dosage form LCS-1208 is poured into sterile vials using a dispenser and lyophilized in a freeze-drying chamber. At the end of drying, the preparation is corked in the chamber of a sublimation unit using a hydraulic device and transferred to crimping with aluminum caps using a seaming machine. Quantitative determination of the drug content was determined by spectrophotometry using a standard sample at λ = 320±2 nm. The pH was determined by potentiometry. Results: A freeze-drying regimen for the injectable dosage form LCS-1208 has been developed. The required solution freezing temperature was established taking into account the presence of 2 eutectic zones: a solution of LCS-1208 in DMSO (-35 ÷-32) °С, an aqueous solution of Kollidon 17PF (-10 ÷-8) °С. As a result of a series of experiments, the optimal lyophilization regime was chosen that does not require preliminary freezing in a low-temperature chamber, with freezing on the shelves of freeze-drying at a temperature of-47 °C without their preliminary cooling. The most acceptable vial filling volume was determined, amounting to 3 ml, and the rate of temperature rise during secondary drying of the preparation was justified. When using the developed regime of lyophilization of the LCS-1208 solution, it was shown that it can be sublimated while preserving the initial qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Conclusion: In this article, using the example of creating a lyophilized injectable dosage form LCS-1208 (the original antitumor drug from the indolocarbazole group), the main problems that arose during the lyophilization of the selected composition of the model solution, as well as ways to improve the process.