标题：A covalent linkage between daunorubicin and proteins that is stable in serum and reversible by lysosomal hydrolases, as required for a lysosomotropic drug-carrier conjugate: in vitro and in vivo studies
期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：1982
卷号：79
期号：2
页码：626-629
DOI：10.1073/pnas.79.2.626
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Daunorubicin (DNR) has been conjugated to succinylated serum albumin by an amide bond joining the amino group of the drug and a carboxyl side chain of the protein either directly or with the intercalation of a peptide spacer arm varying from one to four amino acids. During in vitro incubation with lysosomal hydrolases, intact DNR could be released extensively only from conjugates prepared with a tri- or tetrapeptide spacer arm. These latter conjugates remained very stable in the presence of serum. When tested in vivo against the intraperitoneal form of L1210 leukemia, the conjugates in which DNR was linked to serum albumin directly or via one amino acid were completely inactive but the conjugate with a dipeptide spacer arm was not more active than free DNR. In parallel with the in vitro studies, the best therapeutic results were obtained with the conjugates formed with tri- and tetrapeptidic spacer arms; they were much more active than DNR, inducing a high percentage of long-term survivors. Thus, use of a tri- or tetrapeptide spacer arm is essential to obtain DNR-protein conjugates that remain stable in serum and from which DNR can be released through the action of lysosomal hydrolases. The in vivo results suggest, moreover, that these conjugates are endocytosed by L1210 cells and that DNR is released intracellularly after digestion by lysosomal enzymes. This conjugation method can be applied to other drugs possessing a free amino group and to various potential carriers, such as antibodies, polypeptide hormones, and glycoproteins, that have amino or carboxyl side chains.
