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Design and synthesis of novel prodrugs of 2'-deoxy-2'-methylidenecytidine activated by membrane dipeptidase overexpressed in tumor tissues.

Kohchi Y, Hattori K, Oikawa N, Mizuguchi E, Isshiki Y, Aso K, Yoshinari K, Shirai H, Miwa M, Inagaki Y, Ura M, Ogawa K, Okabe H, Ishitsuka H, Shimma N

Department of Chemistry Research 2, Kamakura Research Laboratories, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, 200 Kajiwara, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-8530, Japan.

DNA microarray analysis comparing human tumor tissues with normal tissues including hematopoietic progenitor cells resulted in identification of membrane dipeptidase as a prodrug activation enzyme. Novel prodrugs of 2'-deoxy-2'-methylidenecytidine (DMDC) including compound 23 that are activated by membrane dipeptidase (MDP) preferentially in tumor tissue were designed and synthesized to generate the active drug, DMDC, after hydrolysis of the dipeptide bond followed by spontaneous cyclization of the promoiety.

Published 2 April 2007 in Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 17(8): 2241-5.
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