X‐rays Actuate Anticancer Drugs: Opening New Vistas in Prodrug Therapy

Chemotherapy is the primary treatment modality employed in the clinic for the treatment of cancer. Despite proven clinical success, adverse side effects are one of the drawbacks of this approach. The prodrug strategy has emerged as an alternative approach with the aim of alleviating these drawbacks....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology 2021-11, Vol.22 (21), p.2998-3000
Main Authors: Vaidya, Shreyas P., Patra, Malay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antineoplastic Agents - chemistry
Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use
Antineoplastic drugs
Antitumor agents
Cell Proliferation - drug effects
Cell Survival - drug effects
Chemotherapy
doxorubicin
Humans
light
medicinal chemistry
Molecular Structure
Neoplasms - pathology
Neoplasms - therapy
Penetration depth
prodrug
Prodrugs
Prodrugs - chemistry
Prodrugs - therapeutic use
Side effects
X-ray
X-Rays
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Summary:Chemotherapy is the primary treatment modality employed in the clinic for the treatment of cancer. Despite proven clinical success, adverse side effects are one of the drawbacks of this approach. The prodrug strategy has emerged as an alternative approach with the aim of alleviating these drawbacks. Prodrug activation is typically achieved by either endogenous or exogenous triggers. Exogenous triggers like light are appealing as they are independent of inherent patient and/or cancer‐type variations. However, tissue penetration depth remains the Achilles’ heel of this approach. In this context, usage of X‐rays as the external trigger with infinite tissue penetration depth opens up exciting prospects in prodrug activation strategies. The prodrug approach has emerged as a promising strategy for alleviating important limitations of small‐molecule blockbuster chemotherapeutic drugs. Efficient and precise activation of a prodrug is the key for achieving the full potential of this strategy. Herein, we highlight the potential of X‐rays for activating a prodrug locally in deep‐seated tumors and point out its advantage over other activation triggers such as light.
ISSN:1439-4227
1439-7633
DOI:10.1002/cbic.202100373