Patent Application
20050271615
The present invention relates to novel dendrimeric compounds and, more particularly, to self-immolative dendrimers which can release a plurality of tail units upon a single cleavage event and can therefore be beneficially used in, for example, a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
Dendrimers are perfectly cascade-branched, highly defined, synthetic macromolecules, characterized by a combination of high-group functionalities and a compact molecular structure [1]. Dendrimers in general comprise a core, a number of generations of ramifications (also known and referred to herein as “branches” or “branching units”) and an external surface. The generations of ramifications are composed of repeating structural units, which radially extend outwardly from the dendrimer core. The external surface of a dendrimer of an Nth generation is, in general, composed of the terminal functional groups (also known and referred to herein as “end groups”, “tail groups” or “tail units”) of the Nth (final) generation. The concept of repetitive growth with branching creates a unique spherical mono-disperse dendrimer formation, which is defined by a precise generation number (Gn) [2]. For example: a first generation dendrimer (G1) will have one branching unit, a second generation (G2) will have additional two branching units, etc.
The size, shape and, inherently, the properties of a dendrimer molecule and the functional groups present in the dendrimer molecule can be controlled by the choice of the core, the number of generations, and the choice of the repeating units employed at each generation. Being a synthetic supermolecule, dendrimers can be designed to exert predetermined properties by selecting the appropriate components. For example, the core type can affect the dendrimer shape, producing, e.g., spheroid-shaped dendrimers, cylindrical- or rod-shaped dendrimers, or ellipsoid-shaped dendrimers. Sequential building of generations determines the dimensions of the dendrimers and the nature of its interior. The chemical functionality and structure of the repeating unit in the interior layers can affect, for example, the shape and dimension of the empty volumes between the ramifications.
The synthesis of dendrimers usually occurs by a divergent approach that involves the initial reaction of a monomer with the initiator core, followed by exhaustive reaction of the resulting functional groups with a difunctional compound, to afford the next generation of reactive groups. Repetition of the two-step procedure leads to subsequent generations. An alternate synthetic route uses a convergent growth synthesis as is described in detail in C. J. Hawker and J. M. J. Frechet, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 112,7638 (1990), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
The unique, precise and predetermined structure of dendrimers has been exploited in various fields such as, for example, energy transfer, light harvesting, dyes, nanoparticles, biological analogies, and as carriers of agricultural, pharmaceutical and other materials. Representative examples of dendrimeric compositions and their uses in a variety of fields are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,579,906, 6,570,031, 6,545,101, 6,506,218, 6,464,971, 6,452,053, 6,410,680, 6,395,257, 6,365,562, 6,312,809, 6,306,991, 6,288,253, 6,228,978, 6,224,898, 6,187,897, 6,184,313, 6,113,946, 6,083,708, 6,068,835, 5,990,089, 5,938,934, 5,902,863, 5,788,989, 5,736,346, 5,714,166, 5,661,025, 5,648,186, 5,393,797, 5,393,795, 5,332,640, 5,266,106, 5,256,516, 5,256,193, 5,098,475, 4,938,885 and 4,694,064.
The structural precision of dendrimers has therefore further motivated numerous studies regarding biological applications [3, 4]. Representative examples of such applications include the amplification of molecular effects and the creation of high concentrations of drugs [5], molecular labels, and probe moieties [6].
However, most of the presently known dendrimers' biological applications rely mainly on the high-group functionality and not on their unique structural perfection.
For example, dendrimers are used in chemotherapy treatment as prodrugs that selectively liberate a drug at the tumor site [7, 8]. This selectivity is achieved by using high molecular weight (of more than 20,000 Daltons) drug-dendrimer conjugates [9], and is based on the known ability of macromolecules to accumulate selectively at tumor sites due to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect [10].
The release of the drug from the presently known dendrimeric prodrugs is achieved by an approach that involves linking the drug to the dendrimers through an enzymatic cleavable linker [11]. Such an approach, which exploits the existence of tumor-specific enzymes, is widely used in designing anti-cancer prodrugs, and is based on the conversion of a pharmacologically inactive prodrug to the corresponding active drug in the vicinity of the tumor by a relatively high level of a specific enzyme that is targeted or secreted near the tumor cells.
An example of such a site-specific prodrug is disclosed, for example, in WO 02/083180, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. WO 02/083180 discloses self-eliminating spacers that are incorporated between an enzymatically removable specifier and a parent drug. According to the teachings of WO 02/083180, the resulting prodrug exerts improved drug targeting to disease-related or organ-specific tissue or cells and facilitated release of the parent drug.
Nevertheless, although such prodrug systems are designed to be site specific, and hence to overcome, for example, drug-associated side effects and development of drug resistant tumor cells, these systems are limited by the rate and concentration of the specific enzyme. Since the parent drug is released from the prodrug as a result of its cleavage by the specific enzyme, and hence each such cleavage event release only one molecule of the parent drug, the total amount of the released drug depends on the rate and concentration of the specific enzyme. Moreover, such a mechanism does not enables a simultaneous release of two distinct molecules, which is often time required in various therapeutic applications such as, for example, chemotherapy, chemosensitization, and treatment of nervous systems disorders.
Hence, although the prior art teaches the use of dendrimers in various fields in general and in some biological applications in particular, and further teaches systems that are aimed at a spontaneous and site-specific release of functional moieties such as drugs, the prior art fails to teach the exploitation of the unique structural and biological properties of dendrimers in designing macromolecules that would overcome the present limitations associated with, for example, cancer therapy.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, dendrimers that are capable of simultaneously release of all their functionality groups as a result of a single event and which are hence devoid of the above limitations.
The present invention disclosed the design, synthesis and uses of novel dendrimeric compounds fragmentize into their building blocks in a self-immolative manner upon a single cleavage event, and consequently release all of their tail units.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a self-immolative dendrimer that comprises a cleavable trigger unit, a plurality of tail units and one or more self-immolative chemical linker linking between the trigger unit and the tail units, the trigger unit and the one or more self-immolative chemical linker(s) being such that upon cleavage of the trigger unit, the self-immolative chemical linker(s) self-immolate, thereby releasing the tail units.
According to further features in preferred embodiments of the invention described below, the tail units comprise two or more functional moieties, being the same or different.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the self-immolative dendrimer further comprises one or more self-immolative spacer(s), linking the trigger unit and the self-immolative chemical linker, and/or one or more of the tail units and one or more of chemical linker(s).
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the trigger unit, the spacer(s) and the self-immolative chemical linker(s) being such that upon cleavage of the trigger unit, the self-immolative chemical linker(s) and the spacer(s) self-immolate to thereby release the tail units.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the cleavable trigger unit is selected from the group consisting of a photo-labile trigger unit, a chemically removable trigger, a hydrolysable trigger unit and a biodegradable trigger unit, e.g. an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the functional moieties comprise one or more or two or more therapeutically active agent(s), which are preferably synergistic. Preferably, the therapeutically active agent or agents are selected from the group consisting of an anti-proliferative agent (e.g., a chemotherapeutically active agent), an anti-inflammatory agent, an antibiotic, an anti-viral agent, an anti-hypertensive agent, a chemosensitizing agent and a combination thereof
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the functional moieties comprise one or more diagnostic agent(s). The diagnostic agent(s) are preferably selected from the group consisting of a signal generator agent, a single absorber agent and a combination thereof.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the self-immolative chemical linker has a general formula selected from the group consisting of Formula Ia and Formula Ib:
wherein:
Preferably, the self-immolative chemical linker has the general Formula Ib, and, more preferably, V is O or S; each of B and D is a carbon atom; each of R2 and R4 is independently hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, heteroaryl, alkoxy, hydroxy, thiohydroxy, thioalkoxy, aryloxy, thioaryloxy, amino, nitro, halo, trihalomethyl, cyano, C-amido, N-amido, cyclic alkylamino, imidazolyl, alkylpiperazinyl, morpholino, tetrazole, carboxy, carboxylate, sulfoxy, sulfonate, sulfonyl, sulfixy, sulfinate, sulfinyl, phosphonooxy or phosphate, or alternatively, two or more of R2, R3 and R4 being connected to one another to form an aromatic or aliphatic cyclic structure; and each of R1 and R3 and, optionally, R5 is
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments the self-immolative spacer has a general formula selected from the group consisting of Formula IIa, Formula IIb, Formula IIc and Formula IId:
and a combination thereof,
wherein:
Preferably, the self-immolative spacer has the general Formula IIa.
The self-immolative dendrimer described above if preferably between a first and a tenth generation dendrimer.
Further preferably, the self-immolative dendrimer has between 2 and 5 ramifications in each generation.
In one embodiment, the trigger unit is an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit and the functional moieties comprise one or more therapeutically active agent(s) (e.g. a chemotherapeutic agent) or two or more therapeutically active agents.
In another embodiment, the trigger unit is an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit and the functional moieties comprise one or more diagnostic agent(s) (e.g., a fluorogenic agent).
In still another embodiment, the trigger unit is a photo-labile trigger unit and the functional moieties comprise one or more diagnostic agent(s).
In yet another embodiment, the trigger unit is a hydrolyzable trigger unit and the functional moieties comprise one or more agrochemical(s).
In still another embodiment, the trigger unit is a chemically removable trigger unit and the functional moieties comprise one or more diagnostic agent(s).
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a self-immolative dendrimer having a general Formula III:
Q-Ai-Z0[(X0)](Y0)k]-Z1[(X1)I(Y1)m]- . . . -Zn[(Xn)p(Yn)r]-Zn+1[W] Formula III
wherein:
Preferably, Zn+1 [W] comprise two or more functional moieties, being the same or different, and as is described hereinabove.
Further preferably Z equals 2 or 3 and/or n is an integer of 0 to 10.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition, which comprises, as an active ingredient, a self-immolative dendrimer as is described hereinabove and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The pharmaceutical composition is preferably packaged in a packaging material and identified in print, in or on the packaging material, for use in the treatment of a disease or disorder selected from the group consisting of a proliferative disease or disorder, an inflammatory disease or disorder, a bacterial disease or disorder, a viral disease or disorder and a hypertensive disease or disorder.
Alternatively, the pharmaceutical composition is packaged in a packaging material and identified in print, in or on the packaging material, for use in diagnoses.
According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided an agricultural composition, comprising, as an active ingredient, a self-immolative dendrimer as is described hereinabove, having an hydrolizable trigger unit and two or more agrochemical tail units, and an agricultural acceptable carrier.
According to an additional aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treating a disorder or disease selected from the group consisting of a proliferative disease or disorder, an inflammatory disease or disorder, a bacterial disease or disorder, a viral disease or disorder and a hypertensive disease or disorder in a subject in need thereof. The method comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of the self-immolative dendrimer as is described hereinabove, which has one or more therapeutically active agent(s) as its tail unit.
According to an additional aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of diagnosis, comprising administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of the self-immolative dendrimer as is described hereinabove, which has one or more diagnostic agent(s) as its tail unit.
According to yet an additional aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of determining a concentration of an enzyme. The method comprises contacting, in vitro or in vivo, the enzyme and a self-immolative dendrimer as is described above, which has an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit and one or more diagnostic agents as its tail units.
According to still an additional aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of determining a concentration of a chemical reagent. The method comprises contacting the chemical reagent with a self-immolative dendrimer described above, which has a chemically cleavable trigger unit and one or more diagnostic agents as its tail units.
Further according to the present invention there are provided methods of synthesizing the self-immolative dendrimers described hereinabove.
The present invention successfully addresses the shortcomings of the presently known configurations by providing self-immolative dendrimers that are capable of releasing all of the tail units upon a single yet versatile cleavage event, disregarding the nature of the cleavable unit and the cleavage conditions.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. In case of conflict, the patent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.
In the drawings:
a-b present graphical structures of a first generation (G1) self-immolative dendrimer according to the present invention (
ln[30]=−k1t+ln[30]0;
ln[32]=−k2t+ln[32]0;
a-b present the self-immolative release of 4-nitroaniline molecules from the G3-SID Compound 35, schematically (
ln[36]=−k3t+ln[36]0;
a-b present comparative plots demonstrating the inhibition activity of the mono-doxorubicin prodrug 55 (
a-b present comparative plots demonstrating the inhibition activity of the mono-camptothecin prodrug 56 (
The present invention is of a self-immolative dendrimer which can release all of its tail units upon a single cleavage and can therefore be beneficially used in a variety of biological applications. Specifically, the dendrimers of the present invention can be used, for example, as highly efficient prodrugs which release a plurality of drug molecules upon a single enzymatic cleavage, in various diagnostic applications and as amplifiers of a myriad of reporting signals for measuring a variety of chemical, biochemical and physical activities, such as, but not limited to, enzymatic activity, chemical activity and/or photoirradiation.
The principles and operation of a self-immolative dendrimer, methods of preparing same and its uses according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and accompanying descriptions.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details set forth in the following description or exemplified by the Examples. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As is described hereinabove, the presently known applications which utilize the high-group functionality of dendrimers for amplifying the effect of the functional tail groups involve the release of each of the functional tail groups upon an associated cleavage event. Therefore, the efficacy of these prior art dendrimers is limited, as they require a plurality of events to achieve substantial amplification of tail units release.
Hence, in a search for more efficient compounds that are able to simultaneously release a plurality of functional moieties, the present inventors have envisioned that by combining the unique structural properties and synthetic routes of dendrimers described hereinabove and technologies that involve self-immolative systems, highly efficient dendrimers could be designed. More specifically, the present inventors have envisioned that by designing dendrimers that include a cleavable unit as the core, a plurality of self-immolative units that extend outwardly therefrom and a plurality of functional group as the tail units, dendrimers that are capable of releasing all of the functional moieties simultaneously, as a reponse to a single event, could be obtained and efficiently utilized in a variety of applications.
As used herein the term. “simultaneously” is used to indicate a multi-cascade response to a single trigger event.
While reducing the present invention to practice, it was found that various dendrimers, designed as described herein, are both synthesizable and are indeed capable of releasing a plurality of functional tail units upon a single cleavage event. More specifically, it was found that subjecting such dendrimers to conditions that prompt cleavage of the core, triggers a sequence of reactions that results in self-immolation of the dendrimer and thus leads to a spontaneous release of all the tail units upon a single event. These novel dendrimers are therefore referred to herein as self-immolative dendrimers.
Hence, each of the self-immolative dendrimers of the present invention comprises a cleavable trigger unit, a plurality of tail units and one or more self-immolative chemical linker linking between the trigger unit and the tail units. The cleavable trigger unit and the self-immolative chemical linkers of the present invention are designed such that upon cleavage of the trigger unit, the chemical linker self-immolates to thereby release all of the tail units.
a and 1b schematically present the structure of representative examples of a G1-self-immolative dendrimer (G1-SID) and a second generation G2-SID according to the present invention, respectively.
As is well known in the art and is used herein throughout, G1, G2 . . . Gn represent the generation number of a dendrimer, such that herein the phrase “a G1-SID” describes a self-immolative dendrimer that comprises a cleavable trigger unit, a chemical linker and two or more tail units, the phrase “a G2-SID” describes a self-immolative dendrimer that comprises a cleavable trigger unit attached to a first chemical linker, which in turn is attached to two or more chemical linkers, each being attached to two or more tail units, and so on.
The self-immolative dendrimers of the present invention are preferably G1-G10 dendrimers, more preferably G2-G6 dendrimers.
As is shown in
As is shown in
As is shown in
It should be noted however, that, as is exemplified in the Examples section that follows, the chemical linker of the present invention can be selected so as to link the trigger unit to more than two tail units, in the case of a G1-SID, or to more than two chemical linkers in the case of a Gn-SID, thus rendering the number of ramifications of the dendrimer of the present invention being between 2 and 5, preferably between 2 and 3.
The self-immolative chemical linker of the dendrimers of the present invention therefore comprises, in accordance with the acceptable dendrimers' chemistry underlines, a multifunctional base unit which enables its linkage to the core unit, in case of a G1-dendrimer, or to two or more other chemical linkers, in case of a Gn-dendrimer where N>1, at one end, and to two or more tail units or to two or more other chemical linkers, respectively, at the other end. The self-immolative chemical linker of the present invention therefore serves, and is also referred to herein interchangeably, as a chemical adaptor.
As is described hereinabove, the self-immolative chemical linker of the present invention is selected such that it undergoes a sequence of self-immolative reactions upon cleavage of the trigger unit.
As is known in the art, self-immolative reactions typically involve electronic cascade self-elimination and therefore self-immolative systems typically include electronic cascade units which self-eliminate through, for example, linear or cyclic 1,4-elimination, 1,6-elimination, etc. Such electronic cascade units are widely described in the art (see, for example, WO 02/083180).
The presently known self-immolative systems are designed to release one end group upon each elimination. In sharp ditinction, the dendrimers of the present invention are designed such that the self-immolative chemical linker undergoes electronic cascade self-elimination to thereby release two or more end groups. Such chemical linkers are preferably based on a multifunctional aromatic unit which can be linked to both the trigger unit and to two or more tail units or other chemical linkers and can further be subjected to electronic cascade self-elimination.
Hence, preferred self-immolative chemical linkers according to the present invention are five- or six-membered aromatic rings that have the following general formulas:
wherein:
According to these preferred self-immolative chemical linkers of the present invention, in the first generation of the dendrimer, V represents a group that links the chemical linker to the trigger, whereas in the advanced generations (n>1) V represents a group that links the linker to the chemical linkers of a previous generation. As is described hereinabove, V can be an etheric group (—O—), a thioetheric group (—S—), a substituted or non-substituted amino group (—NR6—) or a substituted or non-substituted phosphinic group (—PR7—).
Further according to these preferred self-immolative chemical linkers of the present invention, the linker is linked to the tail units or to the linkers of the next generation via two or more
groups. The —(I)a-(F)b-(G)c-unit, if present, is a linear electronic cascade unit that is conjugated to the aromatic system of the basic unit and thereby directly participate in the self-immolative reactions sequence, whereas the carboxy unit —O—(C═O)— enables the release of the linkers/tail units attached thereto via a decarboxylation, which takes place at the end of the self-immolation sequence. The presence of two or more such
groups as substituents of the aromatic system enables the occurrence of more than one self-immolative reactions sequence at a time. The aromatic system, while being capable to undergo various rearrangements, further enables such occurrence. However, as such rearrangements are more facilitated in a six-membered aromatic ring, the chemical linker of the present invention preferably has the general formula Ib.
Hence, at least two of the rings substituents R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 in Formula Ib are
Preferably, at least two of R1, R3 and R5 are
Other ring substituents, as well as the other substituents in Formulas Ia and Ib, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11 and R12, can be hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, heteroaryl, alkoxy, hydroxy, thiohydroxy, thioalkoxy, aryloxy, thioaryloxy, amino, nitro, halo, trihalomethyl, cyano, C-amido, N-amido, cyclic alkylamino, imidazolyl, alkylpiperazinyl, morpholino, tetrazole, carboxy, carboxylate, sulfoxy, sulfonate, sulfonyl, sulfixy, sulfinate, sulfinyl, phosphonooxy or phosphate,
As used herein, the term “alkyl” refers to a saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon including straight chain and branched chain groups. Preferably, the alkyl group is a medium size alkyl having 1 to 10 carbon atoms. More preferably, it is a lower alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Most preferably it is an alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Representative examples of an alkyl group are methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl and hexyl.
As used herein, the term “cycloalkyl” refers to an all-carbon monocyclic or fused ring (i.e., rings which share an adjacent pair of carbon atoms) group wherein one of more of the rings does not have a completely conjugated pi-electron system. Examples, without limitation, of cycloalkyl groups are cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane, cyclopentene, cyclohexane, cyclohexadiene, cycloheptane, cycloheptatriene and adamantane.
The term “aryl” refers to an all-carbon monocyclic or fused-ring polycyclic (i.e., rings which share adjacent pairs of carbon atoms) group having a completely conjugated pi-electron system. Examples, without limitation, of aryl groups are phenyl, naphthalenyl and anthracenyl.
The term “phenyl”, according to the present invention can be substituted by one to three substituents or non-substituted. When substituted, the substituent group may be, for example, halogen, alkyl, alkoxy, nitro, cyano, trihalomethyl, alkylamino or monocyclic heteroaryl.
The term “heteroaryl” includes a monocyclic or fused ring (i.e., rings which share an adjacent pair of atoms) group having in the ring(s) one or more atoms, such as, for example, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur and, in addition, having a completely conjugated pi-electron system. Examples, without limitation, of heteroaryl groups include pyrrole, furane, thiophene, imidazole, oxazole, thiazole, pyrazole, pyridine, pyrimidine, quinoline, isoquinoline and purine.
The term “heterocycloalkyl” refers to a monocyclic or fused ring group having in the ring(s) one or more atoms such as nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. The rings may also have one or more double bonds. However, the rings do not have a completely conjugated pi-electron system.
As used herein, the term “hydroxy” refers to an —OH group.
The term “thiohydroxy” refers to a —SH group.
The term “alkoxy” refers to both an —O-alkyl and an —O-cycloalkyl group, as defined hereinbelow. Representative examples of alkoxy groups include methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and tert-butoxy.
The term “thioalkoxy” refers to both a —S-alkyl and a —S-cycloalkyl group, as defined hereinabove.
The term “aryloxy” refers to both an —O-aryl and an —O-heteroaryl group, as defined herein.
A “thioaryloxy” group refers to both an —S-aryl and an —S-heteroaryl group, as defined herein.
As used herein, the term “halo” refers to a fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atom.
The term “trihalomethyl” refers to a —CX3 group, wherein X is halo as defined herein. A representative example of a trihalomethyl group is a —CF3 group.
The term “amino” refers to an —NR′R″ group, where R′ and R″ are each independently hydrogen, alkyl or cycloalkyl, as is defmed hereinabove.
The term “cyclic alkylamino” refers to an —NR′R″ group where R′ and R″ form a cycloalkyl.
The term “nitro” refers to a —NO2 group.
The term “cyano” refers to a —C≡N group.
The term “C-amido” refers to a —C(αO)—NR′R″ group, where R′ and R″ are as described hereinabove.
The term “N-amido” refers to a —NR′—C(═O)—R″, where R′ and R″ are as described hereinabove.
The term “carboxy” refers to a —C(═O)—OH group.
The term “carboxylate” refers to a “—C(═O)—OR′ group, where R′ is as defined hereinabove.
The term “sulfoxy” refers to a “—S(═O)2OH group.
The term “sulfonate” refers to a “—S(═O)2OR′ group, where R′ is as defined hereinabove.
An “alkylsulfinyl” group refers to an —S(═O)—R′ group, where R′ is as defined herein.
The term “sulfonyl” refers to an —S(═O)2—R′ group, where R′ is as defined herein.
The term “sulfixy” refers to an —S(═O)2—H group.
The term “sulfinate” refers to an —S(═O)—OR′ group, where R′ is as defined hereinabove.
The term “sulfinyl” refers to an —S(═O)R′ group, where R′ is as defined hereinabove.
The term “phosphonooxy” refers to an —O—P(═O)(OH)2 group.
The term “phosphate” refers to an —O—P(═O)(OR′)(OR″) group, where R′ and R″ are as defined hereinabove.
Alternatively, at least two of R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 can be connected to one another, so as to form an aromatic or aliphatic cyclic structure. Thus, for example, the self-immolative linker comprises an aromatic system that include two or more fused rings (e.g., naphthalene or anthracene), or an aromatic ring that is fused to one or more alicyclic rings.
A preferred self-immolative linker according to the present invention has a general Formula Ib, wherein V is O or S, each of B and D is a carbon atom, each of R2 and R4 is hydrogen or alkyl, a, b and c are all 0 and R9 and R10-are hydrogen or alkyl.
The chemical linker of the present invention is designed to undergo self-immolation upon cleavage of the cleavable trigger unit, which is attached thereto.
As used herein, the phrase “cleavable trigger unit” describes a residue of a compound that can be cleaved by a reaction with the corresponding trigger.
As used herein and is known in the art, the term “residue” describes a major portion of a molecule which is covalently linked to another molecule, herein the chemical linker or the spacer described hereinbelow.
Therefore, the term “trigger” as used herein describes an event that cleaves the trigger unit residue described above from the molecule to which it is attached.
The cleavable trigger of the present invention can be, for example, a photo-labile trigger that is cleaved upon its exposure to light, a chemically removable trigger that is cleaved upon a chemical reaction, such as a hydrolysable trigger that is cleaved upon reacting with a water molecule.
Alternatively or in addition, the cleavable trigger unit according to the present invention can be a biodegradable trigger that is cleaved upon a biological reaction with the appropriate biological trigger. Preferred biological triggers according to the present invention are enzymes, whereas the trigger units are the corresponding enzymatic substrates.
As the dendrimers of the present invention are highly advantageous as being capable of efficiently releasing a plurality of tail units, the tail units preferably include two or more functional moieties that can be simultaneously released.
As used herein, the phrase “functional moieties” includes a residue, as this term is defined hereinabove, of a molecule that exerts certain functionality. Representative examples of functional moieties that can be efficiently utilized by the present invention include, without limitation, therapeutically active agents, diagnostic agents; reporters and agrochemicals, as is detailed hereinbelow.
The two or more functional moieties in the SID of the present invention can be the same or different. In cases where the functional moieties are the same, the SIDs of the present invention provides for substantial enhancement of the functionality of the moieties. In cases where the functional moieties are different one from the other, the SIDs of the present invention provides for simultaneous release of two active agents and can therefore be specifically advantageous in cases where the different moieties are synergistic.
Representative examples of therapeutically active agents that can be efficiently incorporated as tail units in the SIDs of the present invention include, without limitation, anti-proliferative agents, anti-inflammatory agents, antibiotics, anti-viral agents, anti-hypertensive agents, chemosensitizing agents and any combination thereof.
Non-limiting examples of anti-inflammatory agents useful in the context of the present invention include methyl salicylate, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, and derivatives thereof.
Non-limiting examples of antiviral agents useful in the context of the present invention include famciclovir, valacyclovir and acyclovir, and derivatives thereof.
Non-limiting examples of antibiotics include penicillin-V, azlocillin, and tetracyclines, and derivatives thereof.
As is discussed hereinabove, utilizing dendrimers as anti-proliferative prodrugs is highly beneficial due to the EPR effect. Hence, preferred therapeutically active agents according to the present invention include anti-proliferative agents such as chemotherapeutic agents.
Non-limiting examples of chemotherapeutic agents that can be efficiently incorporated as tail units in the SIDs of the present invention include amino containing chemotherapeutic agents such as daunorubicin, doxorubicin, N-(5,5-diacetoxypentyl)doxorubicin, anthracycline, mitomycin C, mitomycin A, 9-amino camptothecin, aminopertin, antinomycin, N8-acetyl spermidine, 1-(2-chloroethyl)-1,2-dimethanesulfonyl hydrazine, bleomycin, tallysomucin, and derivatives thereof; hydroxy containing chemotherapeutic agents such as etoposide, camptothecin, irinotecaan, topotecan, 9-amino camptothecin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, esperamycin, 1,8-dihydroxy-bicyclo[7.3.1]trideca-4-ene-2,6-diyne-13-one, anguidine, morpholino-doxorubicin, vincristine and vinblastine, and derivatives thereof, sulfhydril containing chemotherapeutic agents and carboxyl containing chemotherapeutic agents.
Other therapeutically active agents that can be beneficially incorporated in the SIDs of the present invention include, for example, antihistamines, anesthetics, analgesics, anti-fungal agents, vitamins and anti-infectious agents.
As is discussed hereinabove, the SIDs of the present invention can advantageously include different functional moieties, which are preferably synergistic. Hence, the functional moieties of the SIDs of the present invention can include, for example, any combination of the therapeutic agents described hereinabove, which would result in synergism. Representative examples of such synergism include a combination of chemotherapeutic agents, or a combination of a chemotherapeutic agent and a chemosensitizing agent. Other combinations are also understood to be synergistic.
Representative examples of diagnostic agents that can be beneficially incorporated in the SIDs of the present invention include, without limitation, signal generator agents and signal absorber agents.
As used herein, the phrase “signal generator agent” includes any agent that results in a detectable and measurable perturbation of the system due to its presence. In other words, a signal generator agent is an entity which emits a detectable amount of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation (such as X-rays, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, infrared (IR) radiation and the like) or matter, and includes, for example, phosphorescent and fluorescent (fluorogenic) entities, gamma and X-ray emitters, (such as neutrons, positrons, β-particles, α-particles, and the like), radionuclides, and nucleotides, toxins or drugs labeled with one or more of any of the above, and paramagnetic or magnetic entities.
As used herein, the phrase “signal absorber agent” describes an entity which absorbs a detectable amount of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation or matter. Representative examples of signal absorber agents include, without limitation, dyes, contrast agents, electron beam specifies, aromatic UV absorber, and boron (which absorbs neutrons).
Representative examples of agrochemicals that can be beneficially incorporated as tail units in the SIDs of the present invention include, without limitation, fertilizers, such as acid phosphates and sulfates; insecticides such as chlorinated hydrocarbons (such as p-dichlorobenzene), imidazoles, and pyrethrins, including natural pyrethrins; herbicides, such as carbamates, derivatives of phenol and derivatives of urea; and pheromones.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the self-immolative dendrimers of the present invention further comprise a self-immolative spacer. As is well known in the art, the term “spacer” describes a residue, as is defined hereinabove, of a non-functional molecule, which is incorporated in a compound in order to facilitate its function and/or synthesis.
The spacer of the present invention may link the trigger unit and/or one or more functional moieties to the chemical linker.
Incorporation of a self-immolative spacer between the chemical linker and the trigger unit provides for and determines the distance therebetween. Such a distance is oftentimes required to facilitate the cleavage of the trigger unit by rendering the trigger unhindered and non-rigid and thus exposed and susceptible to intereact with the trigger.
Incorporation of a self-immolative spacer between a functional moiety and the chemical linker is typically performed so as to facilitate the incorporation of a tail unit into the SID in terms of, for example, chemical compatibility and/or stearic considerations.
Being selected as self-immolative, the spacer of the present invention participates in the self-immolative reactions sequence of the SIDs of the present invention.
Preferred self-immolative spacers according to the present invention have a general formula selected from Formulas IIa, IIb, IIc and IId below:
and a combination thereof,
wherein:
The spacers presented by Formulas IIa, IIb, IIc and IId therefore belong to the known ω-amino aminocarbonyl cyclization spacers, which undergo self-elimination via a cyclization process (as is exemplified, for example, in
As is described hereinabove, the self-immolative spacer of the present invention can also comprise any combination of the spacers presented in Formulas IIa, IIb, IIc and IId, and, as is defined hereinabove, may further be interrupted with units that self-immolate via the electronic cascade self-elimination described hereinabove.
The chemical characteristics and the length of the self-immolative spacer can be tailored according to specific requirements, needs and/or preferences. For example, in cases where the tail units are large, bulky molecules and the reaction of the trigger unit and the trigger requires unhindered trigger unit (as in the case of enzymatic cleavage), a long self-immolative spacer may be incorporated in the SID, so as to avoid stearic hindrance of the trigger unit and hence, the selected spacer would comprise several, same or different, self-immolative spacer units. Also, in cases where the tail unit does not have a functional group that enables its attachment to the selected chemical linker, an appropriate spacer that can “divert” the functional group of the tail unit, can be incorporated.
Hence, the self-immolative dendrimers of the present invention are comprised of a cleavable trigger unit, one or more self-immolative chemical linkers, a plurality of tail units and optionally one or more self-immolative spacers, all are attached one to the other in accordance with the unique dendrimeric structure.
The SIDs of the present invention can therefore be presented by Formula III, as follows:
Q-Ai-Z0[(X0)j(Y0)k]-Z1[(X1)l(Y1)m]- . . . -Zn[(Xn)p(Yn)r]-Zn+1[W] Formula III
wherein:
As has already been mentioned hereinabove, the ramification number of the SIDs of the present invention, represented by Z in Formula III is preferably 2 or 3, yet can also be 4 or 5. The tail units W are preferably functional moieties, as is defined and described hereinabove.
The number of generations of the SIDs, n, is preferably 1-10, more preferably, 2-6.
As is demonstrated in the Examples section that follows, the SIDs of the present invention can be easily designed, by selecting the appropriate linkages between the components, to be completely stable prior to contacting the trigger. The SIDs may be further designed to self-immolate in an aqueous medium, a feature that is highly advantageous in some of the applications that utilize these SIDs.
As is exemplified in the Examples section that follows, while reducing the present invention to practice, self-immolative dendrimers as described hereinabove, having various trigger units and various functional moieties as tail units have been synthesized and successfully tested for their capability to simultaneously release the tail units, thus demonstrating the versatility of the self-immolative dendrimers of the present invention, as is described hereinbelow.
In one example, an SID according to the present invention comprises an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit and one or more therapeutically active agents as tail units, and may therefore serve as a highly efficient prodrug, as is demonstrated hereinbelow.
In another example, an SID of the present invention comprises an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit, a chemically removable trigger unit or a photo-labile trigger unit and a plurality of diagnostic agent molecules as tail units, thus providing an efficient diagnostic tool, as is detailed and demonstrated hereinbelow.
In another example, an SID of the present invention comprises a hydrolysable trigger unit and one or more agrochemical agents as tail units and may therefore serve as an efficient pesticide or any other beneficial agricultural composition.
Hence, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of treating a disorder or disease, such as, but not limited to, a proliferative disease or disorder, an inflammatory disease or disorder, a bacterial disease or disorder, a viral disease or disorder and a hypertensive disease or disorder in a subject in need thereof. The method, according to this aspect of the present invention is effected by administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a self-immolative dendrimer that comprises one or more therapeutically active agents as tail units. Preferably, the SID utilized in this method further comprises an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit.
As used herein, the term “method” refers to manners, means, techniques and procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but not limited to, those manners, means, techniques and procedures either known to, or readily developed from known manners, means, techniques and procedures by practitioners of the chemical, pharmacological, biological, biochemical and medical arts.
Herein, the term “treating” includes abrogating, substantially inhibiting, slowing or reversing the progression of a disease, substantially ameliorating clinical symptoms of a disease or substantially preventing the appearance of clinical symptoms of a disease.
The term “administering” as used herein refers to a method for bringing a SID of the present invention into an area or a site in the subject that is impaired by the disorder or disease.
The term “therapeutically effective amount” refers to that amount of the SID being administered which will relieve to some extent one or more of the symptoms of the disorder or disease being treated.
This method of the present invention is highly efficient as compared with the presently known corresponding methods, since the dendrimers of the present invention enable to select the suitable components, e.g., trigger unit and tail units, such that the method provides for: (i) targeted delivery of the SID to the specific site by selecting a trigger unit that is cleaved by an enzyme secreted or expressed at this site; (ii) simultaneous release of the therapeutically active agents, such that enhanced concentration of the agents is applied to the targeted site upon one administration and one cleavage event; and (iii) simultaneous release of synergistic therapeutically active agents, if preferred.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of performing a diagnosis, which is effected by administrating to a subject a diagnostically effective amount of a SID of the present invention having an enzymatically cleavable trigger unit and one or more diagnostic agents as its tail units.
The diagnostic agent can be a signal generator agent and/or a signal absorber agent, as these phrases are defmed hereinabove.
The phrase “a diagnostically effective amount” includes an amount of the agent that provides for a detectable and measurable amount of the energy emitted or absorbed thereby.
The method according to this aspect of the present invention can therefore be utilized to perform diagnoses such as, for example, radioimaging, nuclear imaging, X-ray, diagnoses that involve contrasts agents and the like, using the suitable tail units, as is detailed hereinabove.
This method is highly advantageous as it provides for substantial amplification of the signal generated or absorbed by the diagnostic agent upon a single administration thereof, and may further provides for targeted delivery of the diagnostic agent to the relevant site or organ, as is described hereinabove.
A SID of the present invention which comprises an enzymatically cleavable trigger and a diagnostic agent can further be utilized to determine enzymatic concentrations. Hence, according to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of determining a concentration of an enzyme, which is effected by contacting the enzyme with such a self-immolative dendrimer and monitoring the rate of immolation induced by enzymatic trigger.
This method can be effected in vitro, to thereby determine a concentration of an enzyme in, for example, cells cultures or samples. The diagnostic agent in this case can be, for example, a fluorogenic agent that fluoresces or quenches upon release, such that the enzyme concentration is determined by a simple fluorescence measurement.
Alternatively, this method can be effected in vivo, to thereby determine enzyme concentration in certain organs or tissues and hence serves also as a diagnostic method.
Similarly, a SID of the present invention which has a chemically removable trigger unit and one or more diagnostic agents as its tail units may serve to determine a concentration of a chemical reagent.
Hence, according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of determining a concentration of a chemical reagent, which method is effected by contacting the tested chemical reagent with a self-immolative dendrimer as described hereinabove, which has a trigger unit that is cleaved by this chemical reagent.
Some of the methods described above involve administration of the SIDs of the present invention to a subject. The SID used in these methods can be administered per se, or formulated in a pharmaceutical composition.
Hence, according to still another aspect of the present invention, there are provided pharmaceutical compositions, which comprise any of the SIDs described above and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Depending on the selected components of the SIDs, the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention are packaged in a packaging material and identified in print, in or on the packaging material, for use in either use treatment of a disease or disorder selected from the group consisting of a proliferative disease or disorder, an inflammatory disease or disorder, a bacterial disease or disorder, a viral disease or disorder and a hypertensive disease or disorder or for diagnosis, as described hereinabove.
As used herein a “pharmaceutical composition” refers to a preparation of one or more of the SIDs described herein, with other chemical components such as pharmaceutically suitable carriers and excipients. The purpose of a pharmaceutical composition is to facilitate administration of a compound to an organism.
Hereinafter, the term “pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” refers to a carrier or a diluent that does not cause significant irritation to an organism and does not abrogate the biological activity and properties of the administered compound. Examples, without limitations, of carriers are: propylene glycol, saline, emulsions and mixtures of organic solvents with water.
Herein the term “excipient” refers to an inert substance added to a pharmaceutical composition to further facilitate administration of a compound. Examples, without limitation, of excipients include calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various sugars and types of starch, cellulose derivatives, gelatin, vegetable oils and polyethylene glycols.
Techniques for formulation and administration of drugs may be found in “Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences,” Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., latest edition, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Routes of administration: Suitable routes of administration may, for example, include oral, rectal, transmucosal, transdermal, intestinal or parenteral delivery, including intramuscular, subcutaneous and intramedullary injections as well as intrathecal, direct intraventricular, intravenous, intraperitoneal, intranasal, or intraocular injections.
Composition/formulation: Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may be manufactured by processes well known in the art, e.g., by means of conventional mixing, dissolving, granulating, dragee-making, levigating, emulsifying, encapsulating, entrapping or lyophilizing processes.
Pharmaceutical compositions for use in accordance with the present invention thus may be formulated in conventional manner using one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers comprising excipients and auxiliaries, which facilitate processing of the SIDs into preparations which, can be used pharmaceutically. Proper formulation is dependent upon the route of administration chosen.
For injection, the SIDs of the invention may be formulated in aqueous solutions, preferably in physiologically compatible buffers such as Hank's solution, Ringer's solution, or physiological saline buffer with or without organic solvents such as propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol.
For transmucosal administration, penetrants are used in the formulation. Such penetrants are generally known in the art.
For oral administration, the SIDs can be formulated readily by combining the SIDs with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers well known in the art. Such carriers enable the SIDs of the invention to be formulated as tablets, pills, dragees, capsules, liquids, gels, syrups, slurries, suspensions, and the like, for oral ingestion by a patient. Pharmacological preparations for oral use can be made using a solid excipient, optionally grinding the resulting mixture, and processing the mixture of granules, after adding suitable auxiliaries if desired, to obtain tablets or dragee cores. Suitable excipients are, in particular, fillers such as sugars, including lactose, sucrose, mannitol, or sorbitol; cellulose preparations such as, for example, maize starch, wheat starch, rice starch, potato starch, gelatin, gum tragacanth, methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl-cellulose, sodium carbomethylcellulose; and/or physiologically acceptable polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). If desired, disintegrating agents may be added, such as cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone, agar, or alginic acid or a salt thereof such as sodium alginate.
Dragee cores are provided with suitable coatings. For this purpose, concentrated sugar solutions may be used which may optionally contain gum arabic, talc, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, carbopol gel, polyethylene glycol, titanium dioxide, lacquer solutions and suitable organic solvents or solvent mixtures. Dyestuffs or pigments may be added to the tablets or dragee coatings for identification or to characterize different combinations of active SID doses.
Pharmaceutical compositions, which can be used orally, include push-fit capsules made of gelatin as well as soft, sealed capsules made of gelatin and a plasticizer, such as glycerol or sorbitol. The push-fit capsules may contain the active ingredients in admixture with filler such as lactose, binders such as starches, lubricants such as talc or magnesium stearate and, optionally, stabilizers. In soft capsules, the SIDs may be dissolved or suspended in suitable liquids, such as fatty oils, liquid paraffin, or liquid polyethylene glycols. In addition, stabilizers may be added. All formulations for oral administration should be in dosages suitable for the chosen route of administration.
For buccal administration, the compositions may take the form of tablets or lozenges formulated in conventional manner.
For administration by inhalation, the SIDs for use according to the present invention are conveniently delivered in the form of an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurized pack or a nebulizer with the use of a suitable propellant, e.g., dichlorodifluoromethane, trichlorofluoromethane, dichloro-tetrafluoroethane or carbon dioxide. In the case of a pressurized aerosol, the dosage unit may be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount. Capsules and cartridges of, e.g., gelatin for use in an inhaler or insufflator may be formulated containing a powder mix of the SID and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch.
The SIDs described herein may be formulated for parenteral administration, e.g., by bolus injection or continuos infusion. Formulations for injection may be presented in unit dosage form, e.g., in ampoules or in multidose containers with optionally, an added preservative. The compositions may be suspensions, solutions or emulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles, and may contain formulatory agents such as suspending, stabilizing and/or dispersing agents.
Pharmaceutical compositions for parenteral administration include aqueous solutions of the SI]) preparation in water-soluble form. Additionally, suspensions of the SIDs may be prepared as appropriate oily injection suspensions. Suitable lipophilic solvents or vehicles include fatty oils such as sesame oil, or synthetic fatty acids esters such as ethyl oleate, triglycerides or liposomes. Aqueous injection suspensions may contain substances, which increase the viscosity of the suspension, such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sorbitol or dextran. Optionally, the suspension may also contain suitable stabilizers or agents which increase the solubility of the SIDs to allow for the preparation of highly concentrated-solutions.
Alternatively, the SID may be in powder form for constitution with a suitable vehicle, e.g., sterile, pyrogen-free water, before use.
The SIDs of the present invention may also be formulated in rectal compositions such as suppositories or retention enemas, using, e.g., conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butter or other glycerides.
The pharmaceutical compositions herein described may also comprise suitable solid of gel phase carriers or excipients. Examples of such carriers or excipients include, but are not limited to, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various sugars, starches, cellulose derivatives, gelatin and polymers such as polyethylene glycols.
Dosage: Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for use in context of the present invention include compositions wherein the active ingredients are contained in an amount effective to achieve the intended purpose. More specifically, a therapeutically effective amount means an amount of SID effective to prevent, alleviate or ameliorate symptoms of disease or prolong the survival of the subject being treated.
Determination of a therapeutically effective amount is well within the capability of those skilled in the art, especially in light of the detailed disclosure provided herein.
For any SID used in the methods of the invention, the therapeutically effective amount or dose can be estimated initially from activity assays in animals. For example, a dose can be formulated in animal models to achieve a circulating concentration range that includes the IC50 as determined by activity assays (e.g., the concentration of the test SID, which achieves a half-maximal inhibition of cells). Such information can be used to more accurately determine useful doses in humans.
Toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of the SIDs described herein can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in experimental animals, e.g., by determining the IC50 and the LD50 (lethal dose causing death in 50% of the tested animals) for a subject SID. The data obtained from these activity assays and animal studies can be used in formulating a range of dosage for use in human.
The dosage may vary depending upon the dosage form employed and the route of administration utilized. The exact formulation, route of administration and dosage can be chosen by the individual physician in view of the patient's condition. (See e.g., Fingl et al., 1975, in “The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics”, Ch. 1 p. 1).
Dosage amount and interval may be adjusted individually to provide plasma levels of the active moiety which are sufficient to maintain the desired effects, termed the minimal effective concentration (MEC). The MEC will vary for each preparation, but can be estimated from in vitro data; e.g., the concentration necessary to achieve 50-90% inhibition of proliferation may be ascertained using the assays described herein. Dosages necessary to achieve the MEC will depend on individual characteristics and route of administration. HPLC assays or bioassays can be used to determine plasma concentrations.
Dosage intervals can also be determined using the MEC value. Preparations should be administered using a regimen, which maintains plasma levels above the MEC for 10-90% of the time, preferable between 30-90% and most preferably 50-90%.
Depending on the severity and responsiveness of the condition to be treated, dosing can also be a single administration of a slow release composition described hereinabove, with course of treatment lasting from several days to several weeks or until cure is effected or diminution of the disease state is achieved.
The amount of a composition to be administered will, of course, be dependent on the subject being treated, the severity of the affliction, the manner of administration, the judgment of the prescribing physician, etc.
Packaging: Compositions of the present invention may, if desired, be presented in a pack or dispenser device, such as an FDA approved kit, which may contain one or more unit dosage forms containing the active ingredient The pack may, for example, comprise metal or plastic foil, such as a blister pack. The pack or dispenser device may be accompanied by instructions for administration. The pack or dispenser may also be accompanied by a notice associated with the container in a form prescribed by a governmental agency regulating the manufacture, use or sale of pharmaceuticals, which notice is reflective of approval by the agency of the form of the compositions or human or veterinary administration. Such notice, for example, may be of labeling approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prescription drugs or of an approved product insert. Compositions comprising a SID of the invention formulated in a compatible pharmaceutical carrier may also be prepared, placed in an appropriate container, and labeled for treatment of an indicated condition or diagnosis.
As the SIDs of the present invention may further comprise agrochemicals as the tail units, there is also provided herein an agricultural composition, which comprises an SID that have hydrolysable trigger unit and one or more agrochemical as its tail units, and an agricultural acceptable carrier. Such an agricultural composition is highly beneficial since (i) prior to its contact with water the composition is stable and hence non-toxic; (ii) it provides for rapid and efficient release of the agrochemicals upon contacting with water; and (iii) it enables administration of two or more synergistic agrochemicals simultaneously and in a single composition.
Further according to the present invention there are provided methods of synthesizing the SIDs of the present invention.
In one embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, there is provided a methods of synthesizing a first generation self-immolative dendrimer.
The method is effected by providing a first compound having a self-immolative chemical linker being linked to at least two tail units and to a first reactive group; and coupling this compound with a cleavable trigger unit. In cases where the SID further comprises a self-immolative spacer that links the trigger unit and the chemical linker, the method is further effected by coupling the first compound with the spacer, prior to the trigger unit. Preferably, each of the tail units in the first compound is linked to the chemical linker via a carbamate bond.
As used herein, the phrase “carbamate bond” describes a —O—C(═O)—NR′— bond, where R′ is hydrogen, alkyl, or cycloalkyl, as is defined hereinabove.
Such a linkage is advantageous as it provides for a stable linkage between the tail group and the chemical linker prior to initiation of the self-immolation process by the trigger, and can be simply obtained by reacting a preferred chemical linker according to the present invention, which terminates with a
group, attached to a leaving group, with a tail unit that is derived from a compound that has at least one free amino group.
Hence, preferably, the tail units are derived from one or more second compounds that have a free amino group.
However, as is discussed hereinabove and is further detailed hereinbelow in the Examples section, in cases where the these second compounds do not have free amino group or in cases where it is preferable to link the tail unit to the chemical linker via a spacer, the method of synthesizing the G1-SID further comprises attaching a self-immolative spacer to the compound(s) from which the tail units are derived, which is referred to herein as a third compound, and thereafter coupling two or more equivalents of these compounds to the chemical linker in the first compound.
The reactive group in the first compound of this aspect of the present invention is preferably a hydroxyl, a thiol or an amine group, which enables simple and easy coupling of the first compound with the trigger unit. The reactive group is preferably protected prior to this coupling, by a protecting group, which is easily removed. Any of the protecting groups known in the art can be used herein.
Hence, a preferred first compound according to this aspect of the present invention has a general formula IVa or IVb:
wherein:
Based on this synthetic approach, Nth generation self-immolative dendrimers where N is an integer greater than 1 (e.g., 2, 3, 4 and up to 10) can be similarly synthesized. The building block of such a Gn-SID is a multifunctional compound derived from the self-immolative chemical linker of the present invention, described hereinabove, which has three or more reactive groups that enable its coupling to other chemical linkers or to the tail units.
Hence, in another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of synthesizing a Nth generation self-immolative dendrimer. The method of this aspect of the present invention is effected by first providing a (N−1)th generation self-immolative dendrimer including a first self-immolative chemical linker being linked to a first reactive group, (N−1) (N−1)th self-immolative chemical linkers each being linked to at least two second reactive groups, and a plurality of self-immolative chemical linkers linking therebetween, and a Nth compound having a Nth self-immolative chemical linker being linked to a (N+1)th reactive group and to at least two (N+2)th reactive groups, and thereafter coupling at least 2(N−1) equivalents of the Nth compound to the (N−1)th generation self-immolative dendrimer, and coupling the resulting Nth generation self-immolative dendrimer, terminating with at least 2N (N+2)th reactive groups with at least 2N equivalents of at least one (N+1)th compound, to thereby provide said Nth generation self-immolative dendrimer having 2N tail units and a first reactive group as its core.
In one particular of this embodiment, the first reactive group is the cleavable trigger unit. In another, preferable, particular of this embodiment, the first reactive group is hydroxyl, thiol or amine group, which is further preferably protected with a protecting group along the synthesis and is reacted with the cleavable trigger unit after removal of the protecting group, either before or after the coupling of the Nth compound to the (N−1)th generation self-immolative dendrimer.
In still another particulars of this embodiment, in cases where the cleavable trigger unit and/or the tail units are linked to a chemical linker via self-immolative spacers, the method further comprises coupling the first chemical linker or the first reactive group to the self-immolative spacer, prior to the coupling with the trigger unit, and/or coupling the compound from which the tail units are derived from, with the spacer, prior to its coupling with the reactive groups of the (N−1)chemical linker, respectively.
As the preferred linkage between the chemical linkers of each generation and between the chemical linkers of the Nth generation and the tail units are carbamate bonds, preferably the second and the (N+2)th reactive groups comprises a carbonate functional group, whereas the (N+1)th compound comprises a free amino group.
Additional preferred embodiments relating to the synthesis methods described hereinabove are detailed and exemplified in the Examples section that follows.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent to one ordinarily skilled in the art upon examination of the following examples, which are not intended to be limiting. Additionally, each of the various embodiments and aspects of the present invention as delineated hereinabove and as claimed in the claims section below finds experimental support in the following examples.
Reference is now made to the following examples, which together with the above descriptions, illustrate the invention in a non limiting fashion.
As a representative example of a G1-self-immolative dendrimer according to the present invention, a model of such a G1-dendrimer, which is based on the commercially available, tri-functional compound 2,6-bishydroxymethyl-p-cresol, was designed. As is shown in
The general synthesis of the G1-dendrimer model described above (Compound 1) is depicted in
Based on the G1-self-immolative dendrimer model described above, models of higher generations of such dendrimers, e.g., G2- and G3-self-immolative dendrimers, have been designed. Representative examples of a G2-self-immolative dendrimer (Compound 13), and a G3-self-immolative dendrimer (Compound 14), according to the present invention, are presented in
Based of the G1-dendrimer model described hereinabove in Example 1, a model of a G1-dendrimeric compound that carries up to three tail units was also designed. The principle of designing such a compound is based on adding an additional hydroxybenzyl substitution at the para position to the phenolic oxygen of the basic cresol, which enables the additional attachment of a tail unit through a carbamate linkage. As is shown in
The synthesis of Compound 16 is performed similarly to the synthesis of Compound 1 (presented in
The multi-tail units dendrimeric compound described herein is highly advantageous as it enables the synthesis of self-immolative dendrimers with higher number of branching arms, carrying more tail units (e.g., drugs), which could all be released upon a single event.
General Methods:
Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was performed with silica gel plates Merck 60 F254. The compounds were visualized by irradiation with UV light and/or by treatment with a solution of 25 grams phosphomolybdic acid, 10 grams Ce(SO4)2.H2O, 60 ml concentrated H2SO4 and 940 ml H2O, followed by heating and/or by staining with a solution of 12 grams 2,4dinitrophenylhydrazine in 60 ml concentrated H2SO4, 80 ml H2O and 200 ml 95% EtOH, followed by heating.
Flash chromatography (FC) was performed with silica gel Merck 60 (particle size 0.040-0.063 mm).
1H-NMR spectra were measured using Bruker Avanee operated at 200 MHz. The chemical shifts are expressed in δ relative to TMS (δ=0 ppm) and the coupling constants J in Hz. The spectra were recorded in CDCl3 as solvent at room temperature unless stated otherwise. All general reagents, including salts and solvents, were purchased from Aldrich (Milwaukee, Minn.).
Synthesis of a G1-Self-Immolative Dendrimer having Pyrenes Tail Units and a Photo-Labile Trigger Unit:
The total synthesis of a G1-self-immolative dendrimer having two pyrene molecules as tail units and a photo-labile trigger unit is presented in
Synthesis of Compound 19 (
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=8.03 (1H, s); 6.90 (2H, s); 4.82 (4H, s); 2.26 (3H, s); 0.94 (18H, s); 0.12 (12H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 20 (
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=8.31 (2H, d, J=9.0); 7.48 (2H, d, J=9.0); 7.22 (2H, s); 4.72 (4H, s); 2.38 (3H, s); 0.93 (18H, s); 0.09 (12H, s).
Synthesis of mono-BOC-N,N′-dimethylethylenediamine (Compound 29,
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=3.3 (2H, t, J=6.6); 2.85 (3H, s); 2.70 (2H, t, J=6.6); 2.42 (3H, s); 1.43 (9H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 21 (
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=7.19 (2H, s); 4.62 (4H, s); 3.7-3.4 (4H, m); 3.14 (3H, s); 2.92 (3H, s); 2.35 (3H, s); 1.47 (9H, s); 0.92 (18H, s); 0.08 (12H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 22 (
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=7.21 (2H, s); 4.53 (4H, s); 3.7-3.62 (2H, m); 3.52-3.47 (2H, m); 3.05 (3H, s); 2.95 (3H, s); 2.35 (3H, s); 1.49-1.44 (9H, m).
Synthesis of Compound 23 (
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=8.27 (4H, d, J=9.2); 7.38 (4H, d, J=9.2); 7.25 (2H, s); 5.26 (4H, s); 3.65-3.62 (4H, m); 3.20 (3H, s); 3.03 (3H, s); 2.39 (3H, s); 1.45 (9H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 24 (
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=8.21-7.97 (18H, m); 7.15 (2H, s); 5.09-5.06 (8H, m); 3.25-3.27 (4H, m); 2.76 (3H, bs); 2.70 (3H, bs); 2.28 (3H, s); 1.37 (9H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 26: The commercially available 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl-alcohol (150 mg, 0.7 mmol) and PNP-chloroformate (155 mg, 0.77 mmol) were dissolved in EtOAc. Et3N (0.1 ml, 0.77 mmol) and catalytic amount of DMAP were added, and the reaction was stirred for 10 minutes, while being monitored by TLC, using a mixture of 1:3 EtOAc:hexane as eluent. Once the reaction was completed, the solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the product was purified by column chromatography on silica gel, using a mixture of 1:1 EtOAc:hexane as eluent, to give Compound 26 described hereinbelow (150 mg, 50% yield) as a pale yellow powder.
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=8.32 (2H, d, J=7.2); 7.78 (1H, s); 7.42 (2H, d, J=7.2); 7.11 (1H, s); 5.71 (2H, s); 4.03 (3H, s); 3.99 (3H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 25 (
HR-MS (MALDI): calculated for C60H53N5O12 1058.3583 [M+Na]+, found 1058.3448.
Synthesis of a G2-Self-Immolative Dendrimer having Pyrenes as Tail Units and a Photo-Labile Trigger Unit:
The total synthesis of a G2-self-immolative dendrimer having four pyrene molecules as tail units and a photo-labile trigger unit is presented in
Synthesis of Compound 27 (
Synthesis of Compound 28 (
HR-MS (MALDI): calculated for C126H115N11O24 2188.8014 [M+Na]+, found 2188.8336.
General protocol: The self-immolative dendrimer (SID) (2 mM) was dissolved in 4 ml DMSO to yield a 500 μM stock solution. The latter was further diluted by a MeOH:dichloromethane mixture (1:1), to yield 50-μM solutions, which were used directly for monitoring the release reaction. All solutions were kept at 37° C. prior to use. The release of the tail units was monitored by an HPLC assay, using C-18 column, wavelength—360 nm, eluent—acetonitrile:water; programmed gradient, flow rate—1 ml/min.
Kinetic Calculations:
The self-immolative mechanism for releasing tail units from the dendrimers of the present invention was demonstrated by kinetic measurements. The kinetic experiments and calculations conducted were based on the assumption that the self-immolative fragmentation of the G1 amine-intermediate Compound 2 (
d[2]/dt=−k1[2] (1)
d[2]/[2]=−k1dt (2)
ln[2]=ln[2]0−k1t (3)
[2][2]0e{circumflex over ( )}−k1t (4)
The kinetic measurements were performed with the G1- and G2-SIDs prepared in Example 4 (having a photo-labile trigger unit and pyrene tail units), according to the general protocol described hereinabove. The solutions were irradiated with UV light (λ=360 nm), so as to cleave the photo-labile trigger unit and 10% Et3N was added, so as to initiate the self-immolative reactions (a mild basic media is needed for the quinone-methide rearrangement). The reaction progress was monitored by HPLC, as is described hereinabove.
Since no intermediates other than Compound 30 were observed, as is shown in
The first order rate constant, k1, was calculated from the slope of the linear fit (
A similar analysis was performed with the G2-SID Compound 28.
As is shown in
The identical values accepted for k1 and k2 are attributed to the identical rate-determining step, namely the cyclization of the amine-intermediate, of both the G2-dendrimer and G1-dendrimer fragmentation reactions. Thus, throughout the self-immolation of the G2-dendrimer, intermediate 30 is formed and fragmentized at the same time.
However, in order to support the experimental findings and the theoretical kinetics concluded therefrom, mathematical calculations have been conducted in accordance with the theory described above and the theoretical expected results have been compared with the experimental data.
The theoretical calculations were based on a reaction model consisted of two steps:
As is shown in
The expression calculated in equation 15 for the concentration of intermediate Compound 30, has been submitted into the second step rate expression presented in equation 16 below, to yield equation 17. The solution of this equation is a mathematical description of the formation of the free tail units 31 as a function of time for a G2-SID fragmentation, as presented in equation 18 below:
d[31]/dt=2k[30] (16)
d[31]/dt=4k2[32]0te{circumflex over ( )}−kt (17)
[31]=4[32]0(1−(e{circumflex over ( )}−kt)−(kte{circumflex over ( )}−kt)) (18)
As is shown in
The data presented in
Attempts to synthesize a G3-SID having eight aminomethylpyrene molecules as the tail units have not succeeded so far, apparently due to steric hindrances. Hence, it was hypothesized that a G3-SID having a structure that is based on the G1- and G2-SIDs, Compounds 25 and 28, described hereinabove in Example 4, and a smaller molecule as the tail units would be synthesizable. It was further hypothesized that 4-nitroaniline, which is a significantly smaller molecule than pyrene, and is further easy to detect in its free form, due to its yellow color, could serve as an alternative tail group in synthesizing and characterizing a G3-SID according to the present invention. Indeed, a G3-SID having eight 4-nitroaniline molecules as its tail units and a BOC trigger unit, Compound 35, has been successfully synthesized, thus confirming the described hypothesis.
The synthesis of the G3-SID Compound 35, as well as of its corresponding G1- and G2-SIDs, Compounds 33 and 34, respectively, is presented in
Synthesis of Compound 33 (
1H-NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ=8;16 (4H, d, J=8); 7.64 (4H, d, J=8); 5.30 (4H, s); 3.50-2.91 (10H, m); 2.36 (3H, s); 1.47 (3H, d, J=4).
Synthesis of Compound 34 (
HR-MS (MALDI): calculated for C77H86N14O28 1678.5735 [M+Na]+, found 1678.6264.
Synthesis of Compound 35 (
In control experiments that were conducted, both G2- and G3-SIDs, Compounds 34 and 35, were found to be highly stable as long as the trigger unit was not removed, as no decomposition of these compounds was observed for at least 72 hours.
The release of eight 4-nitroaniline tail units from Compound 35 was confirmed by HPLC analysis, as is described in detail hereinafter in Example 7.
Release of 4-nitro-aniline from the G2-SID Compound 34: The activation of the 4-nitroaniline G2 dendrimer Compound 34 was performed by chemically removing the BOC trigger group of compound 34 with trifluoroacetic acid. The obtained corresponding amine salt was used for the preparation of stock solutions in DMSO:Chremophor (1:1). A 100 μM solution of compound 34 in MeOH:dichloromethane, 1:1, was activated with 10% triethylamine and the release of 4-nitroaniline was monitored by an HPLC assay, using a C-18 analytical column, wavelength—348 nm, a gradient eluent of acetonitrille:water—0-20 minutes: 30%-100% acetonitrile, 20-25 minutes 100% acetonitrile, 25-30 minutes 100%-30% acetonitrile, flow rate—1 ml/min.
Release of 4-nitro-aniline front the G3-SID Compound 35: The activation of the G3-SID Compound 35 was performed by removing the BOC trigger group with TFA. The thus formed amine salt was used for the preparation of stock solutions in DMSO:Chremophor (1:1). A 50 μM solution of compound 34 in MeOH:dichloromethane, 1:1, was activated with 10% triethylamine and the release of 4-nitroaniline was monitored by an HPLC assay, as is described hereinabove.
The expected pattern of the self-immolative process is described in
b presents the data obtained by the HPLC assay, which clearly demonstrate the release of the tail units from Compound 35 via a self-immolation mechanism. As is shown in
As is further demonstrated in
The self-immolative dendrimer model designed hereinabove can be further used as a multi-prodrug by incorporating drug molecules as its tail units and an enzymatic substrate as the trigger unit, such that a multi-number of drug molecules are released upon a single enzymatic cleavage.
A representative example of such a SID model is presented in
The general synthesis of the multi-prodrug G1-SID, Compound 39, is described in
The general synthesis described hereinabove can be used to directly incorporate in the SIDs of the present invention drugs that have a free amine group, by attaching the drug molecules to the basic unit via a carbamate linkage. A representative example of such a drug is the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin. However, as some drugs do not have the required free amine functionality, another synthetic route has been developed in order to incorporate such drugs in the SIDs of the present invention. This synthetic route is exemplified in
As is described in
According to the synthetic pathways described hereinabove, representative examples of the multi-prodrug G1-SIDs of the present invention have been synthesized.
The G1-SID Compound 53, having two doxorubicin units as the tail units and a retro-aldol retro-Michael substrate of antibody 38C2 as the trigger unit, prepared as described in Example 8, was chosen as the first module for testing the therapeutic activity of the multi-prodrug SI)s of the present invention.
Hence, the cell-growth inhibition activity of Compound 53 was tested and compared with the inhibition activity of free doxorubicin and of a previously reported prodrug of doxorubicin 55, in which one molecule of drug is directly attached to a retro-aldol retro-Michael substrate of antibody 38C2 [15-17]. The structure of the three tested compounds is presented in
The activity of the compounds was tested in vitro, using a cell-growth inhibition assay of Molt3 cell line, as is described, for example, by Shabat et al. [15-17]. Due to low solubility of the SID Compound 53 in the reaction medium, Cremophor EL was used as a co-solvent agent. The results obtained from comparative assays conducted with the monoprodrug 55 and free doxorubicin and with the SID prodrug 53 and free doxorubicin are presented in
As is demonstrated in
As the incorporation of doxorubicin into the SID prodrug model of the present invention were found to be associated with solubility problems, additional tests were performed with the G1-SID prodrug Compound 54, which has camptothecin (CPT) molecules as its tail units (as is described in Example 8 and
First, the enzyme-activated self-immolative process of releasing free CPT was verified by incubating the camptothecin prodrug 54 with catalytic antibody 38C2 and monitoring the appearance of free camptothecin, using a reverse-phase HPLC assay. As was expected, a signal of camptothecin was gradually appearing in the HPLC chromatogram.
The release of free CPT from the G1-SID 54 was thereafter compared to that of the known monoprodrug of CPT, 56, in which one molecule of drug is attached to a retro-aldol retro-Michael substrate of antibody 38C2 via an N,N-dimethyletylene-diamine spacer [15-17], as is shown in
The anti-proliferative effect of the SID prodrug 54 and the mono prodrug 56 was evaluated by quantifying human colon carcinoma cell line LIM1215 growth in the presence of a range of concentrations of the prodrugs, with and without the catalytic antibody 38C2. The cells were lysed 120 hours after drug addition and the activity of the cytoplasmic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase released from the cells was assayed using a color reaction. Representative results are presented in
As is shown in
The cell-growth inhibition activity of Compound 54 was further tested and compared with the inhibition activity of free CPT and of the monoprodrug 56, using the cell-growth inhibition assay of Molt3 cell line described hereinabove. The results obtained from comparative assays conducted with the monoprodrug 56 and free CPT and with the SID prodrug 54 and free CPT are presented in
As is shown in
These results clearly demonstrate the advantages of the SID prodrugs of the present invention over the presently known prodrugs, by showing that identical concentrations of enzymatic protein release double amounts of active anticancer drug when G1-self-immolative dendrimer prodrug is applied. These results further implicate that this effect can be increased using higher generations of the SIDs of the present invention. As selective chemotherapy is highly depended on the ability to generate high local concentration of active drug at the tumor site, such enhanced local release of the drug is highly beneficial.
The SIDs of the present invention can be further used as sensors of, for example, enzymatic activity. Such a sensor SID can be obtained, for example, by incorporating a specific enzymatic substrate as the trigger unit of the self-immolative dendrimer and fluorogenic molecules that generate new chromophores upon liberation from the dendrimer as the tail units.
Compound 57 is obtained by synthesizing Compound 34 as is described in Example 6 and presented in
Similarly, as is presented in
As is shown in
In order to evaluate the efficacy of the self-immolative dendrimers of the present invention in simultaneously releasing two or more different drugs, and thus achieve synergism, the anti-proliferative activity of a G1-SID of the present invention, which has two different drug molecules as its tail units, has been tested.
As a representative example of such a G1-SID, model Compound 39 (see,
As is shown in
The anti-proliferative activity of the heterodimeric prodrug Compound 61 was compared with the known mono-prodrugs of doxorubicin 55 and camptothecin 56, described hereinabove, using the cells-growth inhibition assay of Molt3 cell line, described hereinabove.
The results, presented in
It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.
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| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IL03/00711 | 8/28/2003 | WO | 2/28/2005 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60406958 | Aug 2002 | US |
