Nanoassemblies containing a fluorouracil/zidovudine glyceryl prodrug with phospholipase A2-triggered drug release for cancer treatment

Secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), which is overexpressed in many tumors, cleaves ester bonds at the sn-2 position of phospholipids. A PLA2-sensitive amphiphilic prodrug, 1-O-octadecyl-2-(5-fluorouracil)-N-acetyl-3-zidovudine-phosphorylglycerol (OFZG), was synthesized and used to prepare nanoassemblies through the injection of a mixture of OFZG/cholesterol/Tween 80 (2:1:0.1, mol:mol:mol) into water. Cholesterol and Tween 80 was incorporated into the OFZG monolayers at the air/water interface to yield nanoassemblies. The resulting nanoassemblies exhibited a narrow size distribution with a mean size of 77.8 nm and were stable due to their high surface charges. The in vitro experiments showed that PLA2 degraded OFZG. The nanoassemblies exhibited higher anticancer activity than the parent drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in COLO205, HT-28, and HCT-116 cells. The intravenous (i.v.) administration of the nanoassemblies into mice resulted in the rapid elimination of OFZG from the circulation and its distribution mainly in the liver, lung, spleen, and kidney. After their injection into tumor-bearing mice, the nanoassemblies exhibited anticancer efficiency comparable to that of 5-FU, even though the nanoassemblies contained concentrations of only 1/10 of the molar amount of 5-FU. The lessons learned from the study and methods for the design of PLA2-sensitive amphiphilic prodrugs are also discussed. Enzyme-sensitive amphiphilic combinatorial prodrugs and prodrug-loaded nanoassemblies may represent a new strategy for anticancer drug design.