Synthesis and drug release in vitro of porphyran carrying 5-Fluorouracil

Porphyran, the sulfated polysaccharide from red algae Porphyra haitanensis, possesses excellent bioactivities, especially the immune activity. In order to provide a water-soluble macromolecule prodrug of 5-FU showing slow release of 5-FU, reducing side-effect, we employed porphyran as a drug carrier, and carried out fixation of 5-FU to porphyran at 6-position through acetyl spacer group via ester bond. The chemical characteristic and release behavior of 5-FU from the conjugate obtained were studied in vitro at 37 °C in three different medium. The results represented that the release mechanism of all the conjugates was a typical Fickian diffusion. However, further in vivo studies on animal models are necessary to establish the efficiency of the system.