Cathepsin B-Cleavable Cyclopeptidic Chemotherapeutic Prodrugs

Cyclopeptidic chemotherapeutic prodrugs (cPCPs) are macromolecular protease-sensitive doxorubicin (DOX) prodrugs synthesized from a cyclodecapeptidic scaffold, termed Regioselectively Addressable Functionalized Template (RAFT). In order to increase the chemotherapeutic potential of DOX and limit its toxicity, we used a Cathepsin B (Cat B)-sensitive prodrug concept for its targeted release since this enzyme is frequently overexpressed in cancer cells. Copper-free “click” chemistry was used to synthesize cPCPs containing up to four DOX moieties tethered to the upper face of the scaffold through a Cat B-cleavable peptidic linker (GAGRRAAG). On the lower part, PEG 5, 10 and 20 kDa and a fifth peptidyl DOX moiety were grafted in order to improve the solubility, bioavailability and pharmacokinetic profiles of the compound. In vitro results on HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells showed that cPCPs display a delayed action that consists of a cell cycle arrest in the G2 phase comparable to DOX alone, and increased cell membrane permeability.