• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.8-9
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• 2000

Despite the advances made in the past few decades in cancer chemotherapy, many conventional anticancer drugs display relatively poor selectivity for cancer cells. The nonselectivity of anticancer drugs and the development of anticancer drug resistance have been recognized as serious limitations in their clinical usefulness. Therefore, a major challenge in cancer chemotherapy is the development of new anticancer agents with improved selectivity for tumor cells as well as the prevention of the host cell resistance, both of which result in the improvement of therapeutic effect against cancer cells. Cyclophosphamide (CP), a widely used anticancer agent, is a prodrug that is activated by hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxidase (MFO) catalyzed C$_4$- hydroxylation. The resulting 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (4-OH-CP) is converted to the ring-opened tautomer to aldophosphamide (Aldo) which subsequently undergoes a base- catalyzed ${\beta}$-elimination to generate cytotoxic phosphoramide mustard (PDA) and acrolein. The cytotoxic activity of CP is attributed to the aziridinium ion species derived from PDA that cross-links interstrand DNA.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.76-85
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• 1984

Antibiotic activity and antipyretic effect of three synthetic prodrugs, chloramphenicol acetylsalicylate (CAF-ASP), chloramphenicol naproxenate(CAF-NAX) and chloramphenicol acetaminophen succinate (CAF-SUC-ACET), were studied in vitro and in vivo. In the experimental results, the CAF-NAX showed the moat rapid absorption and the highest blood levels, and the CAF-SUC-ACET and CAF-ASP also were more rapid absorption and higher blood levels than controls, chloramphenicol and chloramphenicol palmitate. The synthetic prodrugs also showed the antipyretic effect by modified Roszkowski method using endotoxin.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.533-541
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• 1999

Many conventional anticancer drugs display relatively poor selectivity for neoplastic cells, in particular for solid tumors. Furthermore, expression or development of drug resistance, increased glutathione transferases as well as enhanced DNA repair decrease the efficacy of these drugs. Research efforts continue to overcome these problems by understanding these mechanisms and by developing more effective anticancer drugs. Cyclophosphamide is one of the most widely used alkylating anticancer agents. Because of its unique activation mechanism, numerous bioreversible prodrugs of phosphramide mustard, the active species of cyclophosphamide, have been investigated in an attempt to improve the therapeutic index. Solid tumors are particularly resistant to radiation and chemotherapy. There has been considerable interest in designing drugs selective for hypoxic environments prevalent in solid tumors. Much of the work had been centered on nitroheterocyclics that utilize nitroreductase enzyme systems for their activation. In this article, recent developments of anticancer prodrug design are described with a particular emphasis on exploitation of selective metabolic processes for their activation.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.229.1-229.1
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• 2001

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.230.1-230.1
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• 2001

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.179.1-179.1
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• 2002

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.344-353
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• 2020

This study aims to develop new potential therapeutic moracin M prodrugs acting on lung inflammatory disorders. Potential moracin M prodrugs (KW01-KW07) were chemically synthesized to obtain potent orally active derivatives, and their pharmacological activities against lung inflammation were, for the first time, examined in vivo using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury model. In addition, the metabolism of KW02 was also investigated using microsomal stability test and pharmacokinetic study in rats. When orally administered, some of these compounds (30 mg/kg) showed higher inhibitory action against LPS-induced lung inflammation in mice compared to moracin M. Of them, 2-(3,5-bis((dimethylcarbamoyl)oxy)phenyl)benzofuran-6-yl acetate (KW02) showed potent and dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the same animal model of lung inflammation at 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg. This compound at 10 mg/kg also significantly reduced IL-1β concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of the inflamed-lungs. KW02 was rapidly metabolized to 5-(6-hydroxybenzofuran-2-yl)-1,3-phenylene bis(dimethylcarbamate) (KW06) and moracin M when it was incubated with rat serum and liver microsome as expected. When KW02 was administered to rats via intravenous or oral route, KW06 was detected in the serum as a metabolite. Thus, it is concluded that KW02 has potent inhibitory action against LPS-induced lung inflammation. It could behave as a potential prodrug of moracin M to effectively treat lung inflammatory disorders.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.83-88
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• 2003

KR-984055 is a new oral cephalosporin antibiotic with activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Lipophilic ester-type prodrugs of KR-984055, i.e., KR-999001 and KR-999002, have been synthesized in an attempt to increase the oral bioavailability of this broad-spectrum antibiotic agent. In this study we determined the oral bioavailability of KR-984055 and its prodrugs in the rat, and evaluated the pharmacokinetic model that best describes the plasma concentration behavior following single intravenous (IV) and oral single dose. In addition, concentrations in plasma as well as biliary and urinary recovery of KR-984055 were determined. Also, protein binding of KR-984055 in plasma was examined in vitro. The degree of protein binding of KR-984055 was in the range of 92.09~94.77%. KR-984055 exhibited poor oral bioavailability (7.02$\pm$1.58%). The observed oral bioavailabilities of KR-984055 from KR-999001 and KR-999002 were 38.77$\pm$2.81 % and 39.81$\pm$5.25%, respectively. These data were calculated from the levels of free KR-984055 in plasma. Oral KR-999001 and KR-999002 were not recovered from plasma, suggesting that it was readily cleaved to free KR-984055. KR-999001 and KR-999002 appear to be an efficient oral prod rug of KR-984055 that deserved further clinical evaluation in human.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.279-292
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• 1996

To assess their stability as a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), four N-acyloxycarbonyl derivatives (1-(N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl)glycyloxymethyl-5-FU :BGFU, 1-(N-tert-butyloxycar bonyl)-leucyloxymethyl-5-FU:BLFU, 1-(N-tert-carbobenzyloxymethyl) glycyloxymethyl-5-FU:CGFU and 1-(N-tert-carbobenzlyoxymethyl)leucyloxymethyl-5-FU:CLFU) possessing differently protected amino acids, and two acetic acid derivatives (5FU-1-acetylpentane:FUAP and 5-FU-1-acetylhexane:FUAH) were synthesized and their physicochemical properties, hydrolysis kinetics, acute toxicity and antitumor activity were evaluated. The lipid-water partition coefficients of six 5-FU prodrugs were higher than that of 5-FU and their aqueous solubilities were in the following rank order; BGFU>FUAP>CGFU>BLFU>CLFU${\simeq}$FUAH. The hydrolysis of N-acyloxycarboyl derivatives, greater at higher pH, was enhanced in presence of liver homogenate or human plasma. Meanwhile, acetic acid ester derivatives, very stable, were hydrolyzed by liver homogenate. Absorption rate constants were 0.181, 0.121, 0.111, 0.168, 0.168, 0.116 and 0.125 $hr^{-1}$ for 5-FU, BGFU, BLFU, CGFU, CLFU, FUAP and FUAH, respectively. The cytotoxicity of N-acyloxycarbonyl derivatives was 4 to 5 times lower than that of 5-FU, but that of acetic acid ester derivatives was negligeble. The $LD_{50}$ values were 204, 325.97 (133.59, amount as 5-FU), 708.16 (262.13), 663.50 (211.77), 382.33 (192.54) and 272.33 (130.09) mg/kg for 5-FU, BGFU, CGFU, CLFU, FUAP and FUAH, respectively. While N-acyloxycarbonyl derivatives showed enhanced antitumor activity and therapeutic ratio (3.30, 3.06, 4.19, 3.11 and 1.81 for BGFU, BLFU, CGFU, CLFU and 5-FU, respectively), FUAH and FUAP showed a smaller therapeutic ratio (0.79 and 0.83).

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.188.1-188.1
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• 2002