Tetrazine-mediated bioorthogonal prodrug-prodrug activation

Chem Sci. 2018 Jul 12;9(36):7198-7203. doi: 10.1039/c8sc02610f. eCollection 2018 Sep 28.

Abstract

The selective and biocompatible activation of prodrugs within complex biological systems remains a key challenge in medical chemistry and chemical biology. Herein we report, for the first time, a dual prodrug activation strategy that fully satisfies the principle of bioorthogonality by the symbiotic formation of two active drugs. This dual and traceless prodrug activation strategy takes advantage of the INVDA chemistry of tetrazines (here a prodrug), generating a pyridazine-based miR21 inhibitor and the anti-cancer drug camptothecin and offers a new concept in prodrug activation.