A previous study showed that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) could preserve higher levels of biologically active lactone moieties of topotecan, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) and 10-hydroxycamptothecin at physiological pH 7.40. As one of camptothecin analogues (CPTs), the interaction of 7-ethylcamptothecin and IVIG was studied in vitro in this study. It was shown that the main binding mode of IVIG to 7-ethylcamptothecin was hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding, which is a non-specific and spontaneous interaction. The hydrophobic antigen-binding cavity of IgG would enwrap the drug into a host-guest inclusion complex and prevent hydrolysis of the encapsulated drug, while the drug is adjacent to the chromophores of IgG and may exchange energy with chromophores and quench the fluorescence of the protein. Also, the typical β-sheet structure of IVIG unfolded partially after binding to 7-ethylcamptothecin. Additionally, the binding properties of IVIG and six CPTs with different substituents at A-ring and/or B-ring including camptothecin, topotecan, irinotecan, 10-hydroxycamptothecin, 7-ethylcamptothecin and SN-38 were collected together and compared each other. Synergizing with anti-cancer drugs, IVIG could be used as a transporter protein for 7-ethylcamptothecin and other CPTs, allowing clinicians to devise new treatment protocols for patients.
Keywords: 7-ethyl-camptothecin; camptothecin analogues (CPTs); drug delivery; intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG); protein-drug interaction.