Construction of 5-Fluorouracil and Gallium Corrole Conjugates for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy

J Med Chem. 2024 Jun 13;67(11):9054-9068. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00249. Epub 2024 May 23.

Abstract

Molecular hybridization is a well-established strategy for developing new drugs. In the pursuit of promising photosensitizers (PSs) with enhanced photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficiency, a series of novel 5-fluorouracil (5FU) gallium corrole conjugates (1-Ga-4-Ga) were designed and synthesized by hybridizing a chemotherapeutic drug and PSs. Their photodynamic antitumor activity was also evaluated. The most active complex (2-Ga) possesses a low IC50 value of 0.185 μM and a phototoxic index of 541 against HepG2 cells. Additionally, the 5FU-gallium corrole conjugate (2-Ga) exhibited a synergistic increase in cytotoxicity under irradiation. Excitedly, treatment of HepG2 tumor-bearing mice with 2-Ga under irradiation could completely ablate tumors without harming normal tissues. 2-Ga-mediated PDT could disrupt mitochondrial function, cause cell cycle arrest in the sub-G1 phase, and activate the cell apoptosis pathway by upregulating the cleaved PARP expression and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratios. This work provides a useful strategy for the design of new corrole-based chemo-photodynamic therapy drugs.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis* / drug effects
  • Fluorouracil* / chemistry
  • Fluorouracil* / pharmacology
  • Fluorouracil* / therapeutic use
  • Gallium* / chemistry
  • Gallium* / pharmacology
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Photochemotherapy*
  • Photosensitizing Agents* / chemical synthesis
  • Photosensitizing Agents* / chemistry
  • Photosensitizing Agents* / pharmacology
  • Photosensitizing Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Porphyrins* / chemistry
  • Porphyrins* / pharmacology
  • Porphyrins* / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Fluorouracil
  • Gallium
  • corrole
  • Porphyrins
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Antineoplastic Agents